SPACED OUT

Gingrich's post primary response reaches an Everest of delusion and he skipped the courtesy call to congratulate Romney ----- now this may mean little to others, but to me it illustrates another feature of someone affected by hypomania, they can turn hostile and vindictive on a dime, so watch out........the ongoing campaigning will probably become even crazier.

Reading between the lines, I wonder if Romney's belated appearance, after his wife filled in post results, was because he was waiting for that call from Newt that never came. Romney had some odd facial expressions when he finally spoke and was on camera. At the time I wondered about that but hadn't known until later about the Gingrich snub.

Don't expect rationality henceforth in the coming campaign appearances, Newt is going to be going for the jugular. Sad that some journalist doesn't have the courage to mention Gingrich is so far out in space that he is dangerous to the country -- he wants to be crowned.

graysmoke

MEGA WHINING

Newt is screaming about the negative ads being run by Romney and his advocates.

Newt you have supplied them with adequate factual negatives, no need for any fabrications.

Gingrich will continue his obsession with becoming president which he has had since his college days as president of the campus republican organization, probably thought he was the BMOC of the era.

At least thousands of Floridians have silenced their interest in ads, they took advantage of early voting option. Those must be the smart residents of the state.

If his candidacy results in there being established a pre-inauguration medical certification that the one going into the oval office is both physically and mentally fit, that will be the only historically remarkable happening out of this whole event.

But what network or opposition candidate is going to press for this?

That too will be history making.

graysmoke

Elephants

The elephant in the room is alluded to so circumspectively........why? In this day and age when we are bombarded with talk about aids, viagra, erectile dysfunction, the G-spot, all sorts of sexual deviations, so why all the avoidance of talking about the brain and mental disorders? They are being skirted by remarks, saying Newt is unstable, zany, and any number of other descriptions of his lack of focus and his flights of fancy, his grandiosity......why isn't it acceptable to ask all candidates if they have had a psychological evaluation, or a diagnosis of an emotional, mental condition?

This should be a priority for candidates, especially when one has a relative of the first order with such history. and maybe too, when the age of Ron Paul, maybe a brain scan to see if any amyloids are developing that might dispose to Alzheimer's, we don't know a thing about whether any family members of his have had this common age development.

If they object to this, then they shouldn't run for the office of president, there is just too much at stake.

graysmoke

ANOTHER YAMMERING MATCH

In just about an hour the last debate prior to the Florida primary will be on the television and I will endure the rhetoric and listen and watch.......I am sure there will be no fresh new creative ideas but just spinning the same old songs.

I am grateful the Australia Open Tennis tournament has been on, offers great relief from the political arena. The tennis courts are places where you can't win unless you play the best match(s). Oh were that true in politics.

Only time will tell whether Newt will be in a mellow mood or a combative one, Santorum will still be trying to convince everyone he knows what is best for them to do as far as procreation and religion goes, Ron Paul will still be tugging at the hands of the clock to persuade time to go backwards and Romney will try to appear as just one of the guys, only he is the one with an obscene level of income, wealthy beyond imagination, gained by what I regard as an abusive practice of what once was capitalism.

Endurance is required to watch tonight.......Hoping Wolf Blitzer the moderator doesn't get his shoe stuck in his mouth as his colleague John King did on the last one presented over CNN.


graysmoke

My Version

For a state of the union to be representational I would have let the joint session, the cabinet, the military and all those assembled to be greeted with the following:

(HUGE SIGN): CLOSED FOR BUSINESS UNTIL THE REPUBLICANS CEASE OBSTRUCTION.

Then I would insist they all change seats, not sitting by anyone that they usually associate with and have an hours conversation and dismiss after that. This would take care of the ritual aspect.

Bid them farewell and go home and watch the AO.

THE 'FILTHY' RICH

Now we know ........Romney isn't in the race for the money.......he doesn't need any more.........

But his wealth so illuminates the loopholes afforded the wealthy that maybe the middle income and lower income will demand that those now be eliminated. Call your senator and representatives insisting that tax revision no longer be done on a band-aid basis.

Gingrich though is running for the ego trip and probably also the money-- he seemed in a more mellow mood during the latest yammering session, maybe Callie Lou slipped him a medication.

SOUNDS FAMILIAR

Here is a link to the House Ethics Committee report that resulted in Newt's reprimand and fine:


http://ethics.house.gov/sites/ethics.house.gov/files/House%20Report%20105-1_1.pdf

It sounds as if he is on the same wave length, talking during campaigning about teaching a course on Brain Science. This may be rooted in the fact that his mother was a manic depressive. She was also only sixteen when he was born --- the marriage lasted only three days, can it be that these anecdotal stories and what was probably a very insecure early childhood, not knowing where he belonged - contribute to his inability to honor oaths. Gingrich is his stepfather's surname. His mother married again when Newt was three. Again it can be surmised that a three year old may have not felt secure with a new "daddy".

In reading reports by a number of sources that have analyzed his tax returns, it certainly is reminiscent of his conniving when House Speaker.

This is not a man that can be trusted with the highest office of the land.

graysmoke

LET ME COUNT THE WAYS

The ways that voters can make crazy decisions. Or do we owe the Gingrich outcome in South Carolina to the Hail Mary pass tossed to him by CNN's John King at the debate --- okay the media did it, surely the voters are not using their brains but their guts. And Newty knows all about how to bamboozle......let's see he doesn't lobby, just consults and contracts......and not a bad profiteer either - I don't think he has paid back in taxes the amount he has sloughed off that Freddie Mac/Freddie Mae deal. He kept two thirds ---- what a slick character but oh, pardon - character doesn't matter. Not sure just what does with a SC voter. What level of higher education do the adults there have anyhow? I didn't catch that in all the demographic depictions on the magic walls --seems there might be a competition there too between CNN and MSNBC to see who can be the most techie.

Or could it be that the republicans know down deep they are going to lose to Obama Newt may as well be the sacrificial lamb. Is that why they really haven't been offering any electable candidates?


graysmoke

PRIMARY

Here I mean the role of NG's wife of the moment, his mannequin standing by the side of "her man" -- maybe hers and someone else's too?

John McCain comes to mind, with his trophy wife conned into appearing onstage constantly during his campaign. Occasionally she had something to say. But so far Callie Lou has been kept silent or chooses to do so. And I bet she and Newt both wish Marianne had made that choice. There's the attempt by his daughter's and even Newty Boy himself to dismiss this with "it was all a long time ago" --- now there's a new dodge, are we only responsible for what we did this year, this month, this week, LOL. Sounds sort of like the republicans not wanting to own up to the damages done to this country during the Shrub presidency. Or for that matter the damages being inflicted today by using the obstructionist tactics in Congress.

One must remember here, the pattern of this man's long history of not being able to remain loyal or uphold the marriage vow. All the spin and scrubbing in the world doesn't sanitize this.

So let's see how South Carolina assesses character and integrity in the voting booth today, the evangelicals try to clean it up with their redemption spin --- good luck.


graysmoke

? IRRELEVANT ?

Newt's theatrics last night consisted of one of his usual rhetorical tricks, deflect and parry.......sorry John King didn't call him on it.

His personal history is very relevant, it shows a total absence of integrity. If an individual can't fulfill the marriage oath, why would anyone expect him to take the oath of office of the POTUS seriously.

And about his tax return release ---- I hope someone follows up and verifies that is the one he actually files and that he doesn't amend it. He has proved he cannot be trusted.


graysmoke

PERRY EXITS

My view of Perry's campaigning is that he suffers from a pickled brain -- never any mention of whether he has had a history of heavy bottle tipping but all those brain freezes and slowed responses sure make me wonder.

The problem with his endorsement of Gingrich is that it comes at this time, right before the debate tonite and the primary on Saturday. So tonite we will be subjected to more time available to the remaining candidates to pontificate and probably also to tear at each other, it will be interesting to see how far Gingrich takes his targeting of Romney and what Romney will do in retaliation........the Nightline interview with one of NEWT'S former wives might add some fuel to the fire.

graysmoke

FROM BALLOT TO BLOCK

The auction block that is ---- accomplished courtesy of the conservative right influenced Supreme Court -- remember Judge Alito's shaking head? It looks like reality isn't on his side. Our individual votes are not what are going to determine election outcomes as long as this stupid decision is on the books.

Money is reigning supreme.

graysmoke

DIVORCE

Romney has the same flaw that Shrub had --- he is divorced from reality by his wealth bubble. And it sounds like he hasn't done anything careerwise for ten years except signing those tax returns he would like to keep private. Sorry Mitt, there is a price for public service.....that wall of wealth is going to become visible.

I wonder if he is counted among the unemployed? LOL Let's not employ him, he doesn't need the income or the over-the-top benefits.

Much has changed since he was in an active job position, a decade ago. Hot air is free....and there certainly is over consumption on that score among the candidates -- they can say they are going to do this or that without much question. Like the impossibility of Ron Pauls'desire to undo the whole government like some Tinker Toy creation ----not that simple but the younger crowd mesmerized by delusion.

Hopefully after the Saturday primary some of the candidates will have the good sense to desist, like Perry, Santorum the saint, and Gingrich the gullible. At least Jon Huntsman had the smarts to get out. Only thing wrong there is he is the only one that should have stayed. Go figure.

It looks like the party will have to swallow Mitt, the political orphan as far as the more conservative Repugs are concerned. They are choking on this.

graysmoke

ANTIDOTE

Here's a link for the yammering antidote needed after last evening's session on Faux:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/fact-checking-the-fox-news-wsj-debate-in-south-carolina/2012/01/16/gIQAVBuh4P_blog.html?hpid=z1


Now how many Faux devotees do you think are going to be interested in "just the facts, ma'am" a la the crime series long ago featuring "Friday".

graysmoke

PIRANHA FEAST/EATING THEIR OWN

South Carolina is going to be nasty ...... methinks.

Yes, I was surprised that all the hopeful nominees are continuing in the hunt.....I guess I was wishfully thinking that Gingrich, Perry and Santorum would discontinue the pursuit of their impossible goal but they are choosing to continue nibbling at Romney- this is mindboggling.....all those millions going to ads trying to upset the applecart.

Romney has the deepest pockets, nothing else is determinant. Sigh.

graysmoke

SUPERLATIVES

There are a bundle of them among the R candidates ---- but not necessarily positive superlatives......

Newt and Paul looked very bedraggled after the Iowa caucuses.......conclusion: neither have the physical stamina required to function in the office they seek.Gingrich also unstable and can turn on the vengeance full volume if crossed.

Ron Paul would be eighty years old at the end of a first term.......I do not thing age is going to be in his favor when votes are cast. And many of his ideas are also old and not doable. This is a larger and more complex world than when he formulated his dogmas.

Then there is Mitt -- the richest candidate ever and insulated from what passes as reality for the majority and it shows almost every time he opens his mouth.

Santorum should be on the Vatican payroll, he does more preaching and proselytizing in his stumping than a Sunday session - and again given the age we are living in - he is not going to resonate with enough voters to get to the White House. He is too wrapped up in his extreme positions to realize what harm he does to himself politically -- contrasts very sharply with how a democrat handled being Catholic (Kennedy).

Need I even mention the brain deficit evident every time Perry tries to sound informed?

The party has a very good alternative candidate Jon Huntsman....and he would be inoculated from some of the targeting in the general election, given his service as ambassador, but the R's are too busy hating Obama to perceive this political advantage.

It will be very interesting today to see the results of the first primary in New Hampshire.

graysmoke

ENDURANCE

Can a conscientious voter survive the yammering sessions? Saturday and Sunday, two consecutive days, fed us an overload of political hot air -- is this going to result in a climate change in Washington D.C.'s performances? These are so loosely labeled as debates. They bear no relation to the formal meaning of that word.

These have become an entertainment diet. High in calories, deficient in nutrition.

Probably things are only going to escalate as the country inches to the November presidential election. After the New Hampshire primary tomorrow though, we may have fewer participants, that is if any have the good sense to drop out when they haven't a tinker's chance of getting the Repug nomination.

A voter needs to blow just as hard to separate the chaff from the wheat ---- little hope of much truth in any of the crop.


graysmoke

Re-inCAINation

Herman has risen.........that super ego just couldn't resist resurrection. He is so narcissistic that he thinks an endorsement by him for some candidate or non-candidate (Palin?) matters.

And he plans a bus tour. Am I too naive to hope the media will ignore this.......nope I am not, they will very probably slavishly cover every second of it.

Is he so delusional that he hopes at least for a cabinet position?

Well who knows, hard to figure out the crazies.


graysmoke

UGLY POLITICS

We are seeing the underbelly of what was once a political party. I think it needs to be renamed, let's see ---- maybe anagram it to the PCC or phony conservative Christians party.......or the SMP, for selfish, mercenary party.......but this is so far to the right that it is off that scale.

Claws are exhibited by the PAC's---and they are snarling vociferously.......these entities are supposed to be separate from the candidate. That is a farce. Their relatives can establish them and do. Where is all this going to end.......will there be a third party, maybe the P.O.R.S.P.F. - Party of Reason and Sanity. Publicly Funded .

Well I can dream, can't I? That is what America is for, problem is I have trouble believing that this dream can be achieved - human nature being what it has become or maybe always was, which I doubt-- or we could never have had our brilliant moments in the history of our past.

The baby got thrown out with the bath when we weren't looking. Let's go find that baby.

graysmoke

INDOCTRINATION

Let's be candid and blunt. Santorum is an indoctinated Catholic, his personal choices and beliefs are not universal and he is wrong in trying to impose his to everyone else.

It puzzles me how much conservatives hate government, yet want the government to make laws that apply to situations of private lives that the government should not be involved with.

Let us hope there will be enough voters in New Hampshire to eliminate him as a possible nominee........

graysmoke

WHAT A DIFFERENCE.......

a day makes, or make that a couple of hours. When I went to bed it seemed Santorum had won the Iowa caucases and when I got up a couple of hours later, courtesy of my RLS, I find out Romney pushed him back to second by eight (8) votes.

Yes, that Romney, the nominee nobody wants, or at least his party doesn't want to own him ---- now why should this surprise anybody.

So on with the election circus. How many bucks did the cable media spend covering just this night of activity ----- no one is telling as far as I know but I bet it is a heck of a lot more than what all the superPAC's added together, spent.

Really hard to tell just how many of the anchor type heads were in Iowa or otherwise, the ability to seam all regardless of geography is sometimes masked cleverly.

Poor Michele, she insists she will persist. And Gingrich is now out for revenge on all the attack ads that he is thinking caused his loss. My thinking is that even if there had been no PAC attack ads centered on him, he would have lost either way -- it will be interesting to see when he chickens.

But it is going to be a long long long time until November.

I would like to see report on President O'bama's webcast with his caucus - wonder if C-Span picked it up.


graysmoke

WHO'S TO SAY?

If the CNN broadcast for New Year's with AC and KG is any barometer - we are indeed in trouble if this passes for comedy. And yes, I know I am dated but really I am of sound mind.

Where oh where are the likes of Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett, or Lucille Ball?

Kathy Griffin doesn't get anywhere near my funny bone.

And the new techy ball........one couldn't tell that was the traditional drop for all the advertisers ----- and even if they weren't totally distracting, I think the thing would bomb on its own.......so it is energy efficient.......who cares when done only once a year. That isn't going to do much to put us on a sustainable energy path......

My afterthoughts are that I would feel better this first day of 2012 if I had abandoned the show and listened to anything else.......

At least it provides me a an easy resolution for next year!

LOL----only one more thing...........it was bad enough to keep me awake!


graysmoke