Newt & Perry's Epic Ground Game Failure

Dec 24th, 2011
by F. Grey Parker

image via

Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry have both failed to secure a spot on the ballot for the important Virginia GOP primary. This is the most inept ground game failure I can remember in a quarter century of watching the American process.

Both candidates are fantastically wealthy, have plenty of time to show up at the so-called "debates" (or on FOX News) and have made every other effort imaginable to stay in the limelight.

But, they didn't get enough signatures to appear on the ballot. How many are required? 10,000. What's the population of Virginia? A little over eight million.

The state wide requirement for ballot inclusion is that each candidate must have a minimum of 400 valid signatures from each of 11 congressional districts. The remainder can all come from a single district. How they could have failed is indicative of only two possible things:

A. They don't really care and this all a big joke to them. They're only real interest is to raise profile and sell books.

B. They really are that stupid and this should automatically disqualify them both from having any executive position whatsoever... ever.

We're talking about Virginia. This is a state that actually has elected a guy like Ken Cuccinelli to an office higher than dogcatcher. One of Virginia's first orders of business following the Tea Party wave in 2010 was a massive assault on women's rights and an attempted rollback of almost all protections against gender, orientation and race bias.

This is their territory. Gingrich would likely have won the state even if his star is falling.

As the GOP establishment has been increasingly disturbed by the ascendancy of Ron Paul in early polling, many have made the obvious observation that he simply has a better ground game.

The current Republican field would be wise to consider that no matter how effective FOX News has been in attempting to bring down the current President, it is not the principle mechanism with which the country will elect the next one.

Perry Watch - "Bum Steer" Edition

Dec 16th, 2011

As much as I am still trying to come to grips with the lunatic display that was last night's GOP "debate" (we live-blogged it HERE), it was more than clear that Perry is done.

I don't merely think that his political career is over nationally, I have been increasingly convinced that Texas is preparing to wash its hands of him altogether.

Perry Watch - About That Anti-LGBT Ad... Pushback Edition, cont...

Dec 9th, 2011

Hilarious.

Perry Watch - About That Anti-LGBT Ad - "like" Button Edition

Dec 9th, 2011

Yeah, once again, Sullivan noticed this first:

"The Perry campaign forgot to turn off YouTube "likes" and "dislikes" on its new ad condoning the persecution of gays abroad."

The numbers, as of 5:00pm CST 12/09/2011 are as follows:

Now, I know it's not very Christian of me, but, Mr. Perry? Go fuck yourself.

Perry Watch - About That Anti-LGBT Ad... Pushback Edition

Dec 9th, 2011

Yes. We were more than a little disturbed by GOP Presidential wannabe Rick Perry's assault on basic Christian decency. We weren't alone. From Funny or Die.

Jesus Responds to Rick Perry's "Strong" Ad from DC Pierson      

Perry Watch - About That Anti-LGBT Ad

Dec 9th, 2011

Everyone is talking about the drippingly hateful and openly Dominionist shocker that is Rick Perry's latest campaign ad. Feel free to click the link, I refuse to post it on our page. The first thing Perry wants us all to know is that he's "not ashamed to call himself a Christian." Gee, Rick, neither am I. I'm glad we cleared that up.

Sullivan is furious:

"Can someone tell me, outside a few hostile enclaves on the intolerant left, where in America people feel pressured not to call themselves Christians? What you have here is classic - and imagined - victimology."

In the ad, Perry accuses President Obama of waging a "war on religion." Questioned by Wolf Blitzer about the arch salvo, Perry demonstrates a view of faith in the public square that would send the Founders into a full-on freak out. Not only does he double down on every bit of his venom, he seems to argue that that it's un-Constitutional not to fund activist religious organizations from the public purse.

Quote Of The Day - Here and Now Edition

Nov 11th, 2011

"It's one thing to have a destructive, extremist vision for America. It's another thing to not even be able to articulate it."
-- Sally Kohn on the Rick Perry debate meltdown.

Stewart On The GOP Debate

Nov 11th, 2011

He has a field day...

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Perry Watch - WTF Happened In New Hampshire?

Oct 31, 2011

Gov Rick Perry's recent appearance in Manchester, New Hampshire has raised more than a few eyebrows. I am not the only one who thinks he was seriously intoxicated. It's the only plausible explanation.

Perry Watch - Spectacular Spiral Edition

Oct 7th, 2011

Has it really only been two months? Kevin Drum takes stock:

"Just to recap, in less than two months Rick Perry has:

1. Suggested that maybe Ben Bernanke should be lynched.

2. Declined to back off his contention that Social Security is an unconstitutional Ponzi scheme.

3. Called climate change a "contrived phony mess" that was cooked up by scientists who have "manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling in to their projects."

4. Pissed off the conservative base by defending his decision to (in Michele Bachmann's immortal words) give "government injections" to "innocent little 12-year-old girls." Said Perry condescendingly: "What I don't get is what parents don't understand about an opt out."

5. Further pissed off the conservative base by suggesting that if you disagree with his policy on in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, "I don't think you have a heart."

6. Mangled a prepackaged debate attack on Mitt Romney so badly, and then followed up with a statement on Pakistan so inscrutable, that even his supporters started to wonder if he has a three-digit IQ.

7. Proposed that US troops should be used to fight Mexican drug lords. In Mexico.

8. Had to defend himself against revelations that his family leases a hunting spot called "Niggerhead."

I'm putting this up because you can't truly grasp the full scope of Perry's train wreck campaign unless you see the whole list in one place. It's really pretty stupendous. Has any top-tier presidential candidate in history ever imploded quite this quickly?"

Not in my recollection.

Perry Watch - It Should Really Be Over

Sept 23rd, 2011

The conservative consensus is that last night was a train wreck.

Perry Watch - Foreign Policy Nonsense

Sept 23rd, 2011

There isn't really an issue in foreign policy that should currently concern us more than the potential insecurity of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. Except, of course, the prospect that a President Perry would have to deal with the situation. Gov. Perry has been legitimately savaged for his response to a question on that topic during last night's debate.


Kevin Drum writes that the answer was little more than a "Palinesque bit of word salad." I think this is unfair to Palin. So obtuse was his response that it should end his candidacy. First of all, Perry is wrong on the facts of our strategic arms agreements with India. Second of all, what the hell good does a "relationship" with India do in the event that the Taliban actually gains control of one or more warheads? Lastly, trying to score points with his party's old school hawks by bringing up arms sales to Taiwan simply made no damn sense.

One of Romney's advisors is quoted by the Weekly Standard as having described the statements as "completely unintelligible." That didn't stop Perry's biggest backer, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, from piling on in his defense

"You gotta have a relationship to know what’s going on. I’ve worked with the Pakistanis, and particularly in Pakistan you need a relationship, because the country’s a pretty unstable place, and it’s run by the army. You gotta know the guy that’s the head of the place."

Mkay. Except the "relationship" Perry discussed was with India.

Team Perry, mired in stunning yokelism, has no business running an American state much less the Armed Forces.

Perry Watch - Texas Identity Edition

Sept 19th, 2011

Josh Harkinson observes that Gov. Perry has made some fairly vacant contributions to a certain Texan custom:

"In Austin, where state identity is the manna of politics, governors have long upheld the tradition of naming worthy outsiders "honorary Texans"—a title that Crockett, a Tennessee native who died fighting for Texas, would have deserved. 

Foreign dignitaries, actors, and musicians have been the most popular picks, though some governors have gotten more creative. (Check out the stories behind 10 of the more unconventional picks.) Ann Richards named a breast cancer victim and a women's basketball star. George W. Bush named a Catholic nun and an insurance lobbyist.

And Rick Perry named Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Sarah Palin."

Worth 1,000 Words

Sept 18th, 2011

Rick Perry's Big Bold Faced Lie

Sept 13th, 2011

During last night's Tea Party sponsored "debate," Gov. Rick Perry dropped a line that was so provably untrue it was actually impressive. Regarding the 2009 stimulus, Perry declared that:

"It created zero jobs."

Yes, Politifact gave it a "pants on fire" rating. As a matter of course. The whole exchange is worth reading as it more than confirms that we are dealing with something other than a political party.

Things You Can't Make Up - Galileo Edition

Sept 9th, 2011

Yes, Rick Perry said it. In defending his anti-science positions on, well, pretty much everything, he actually referred to the theocratic persecution of Galileo Galilei in the 17th Century to portray his irrationality as not only somehow reasonable, but steeped in tradition. Or something. It is very much worth noting that none of the audience laughed.

Worth 1,000 Words - Rick Perry Edition

Sept. 6th, 2011

Well, goodness me. If that ain't the down-home, folksy, anti-ACORN firebrand himself, grinnin' like an idiot while surrounded by the good folks from... ACORN. Yup.
via

Perry Watch - Unoriginality Edition

Sept 1st, 2011

Remember the nutty lie about President Obama doing more for Brazilian oil exploration then he has domestically? Remember how even Fox News was shamed into toning it down because it was a blatant falsehood?

Well, apparently, Republican Presidential hopeful Texas Gov. Rick Perry never got that memo. In his continuing quest for attention and validation, he repeated it recently. This has naturally earned him a Politifact "pants-on-fire" award.

Also, would someone please tell Perry that when you fire a gun in the air the bullet comes back down? Just an aside. Thinking of the children.

Worth 1,000 Words - Rick Perry Edition

Aug 31st, 2011

A major hat tip to our friend, Stephanie Baselice. Please support her voice and her site, May Day Resistance.

Perry Watch - Is Anyone In Charge?

Aug 29th, 2011

Rick Perry has now disavowed his campaign's disavowal of his recent book.

At this time, there is no word whether or not his campaign will next move to disavow his disavowal of their previous disavowal.

In an exchange captured by Think Progess, Governor Perry snarks back against a fairly reasonable question from Scott Keyes:

Keyes: "But should states-rights supporters be worried that, as governor you said that Social Security is not something that falls in the purview of the federal government, but in your campaign, have backed off that?"

Perry: "I haven’t backed off anything in my book. Read the book again, get it right. Next question."