The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Hatin’ on the Hawkeye State, Or: Should Iowans Burn Jim Geraghty in Effigy?

Mob violence is rare in Iowa, but National Review‘s Jim Geraghty would be well-advised to avoid any gatherings of Hawkeye State Republicans after he blasphemed against the Sacred Caucuses this morning. A special kind of prejudice causes pundits to disparage the campaign Holy Trinity of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — the crucial early states that […]

Santorum Surge: It’s Real and Spectacular

For the past three weeks I’ve been wondering: Is it just me? Am I imagining things, or does Rick Santorum have a legitimate chance of scoring an upset in the Iowa GOP caucuses? Robert Costa of National Review today unloads 2,000 words of solid reporting on the subject, a few excerpts of which I’ll highlight: […]

God-Hating Feminist Blogger Denounces Iowa Republicans and Rick Santorum

Let the undecided Iowans be undecided no more. Rick Santorum has been denounced by the notorious Amanda Marcotte: Right on schedule, Rick Santorum is getting a push in Iowa amongst people who probably don’t know how to use the googles anyway. . . . It’s important to remember that while Iowa wingnuts are wingnutty in […]

The Weird Turn Pro

“Some people claim that the ancient Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012. While I am generally skeptical toward such doomsday prophecies, recent events have undermined my habitual skepticism and filled me with foreboding premonitions. If 2012 doesn’t bring the end of the entire cosmos, there are those who say it is […]

Slouching Toward Cedar Rapids

One of the hardest things about blogging is maintaining morale during times of discouragement. And so I’m grateful to the readers who responded to last night’s emergency request for contributions to the Shoe Leather Fund for my rapidly approaching Iowa trip: Jeff in Walla Walla, Richard in North Hollywood, and Glen in Dubai — yes, […]

BREAKING: Rick Santorum Gets Endorsement by Key Iowa Social Conservative Leader Bob Vander Plaats UPDATE: In Interview, Santorum Says Endorsement ‘Sends a Strong Signal’

Two words? FREAKING HUGE! CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Two weeks before the Republican nominating contest opens at the Iowa caucuses, former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania has won a highly-coveted endorsement from one of the state’s social conservative leaders. Bob Vander Plaats, who has sought to put his imprint on the Republican presidential race for […]

Perry Iowa TV Ad Attacks Newt Gingrich as ‘K Street,’ Mitt Romney as ‘Wall Street’

Now that the debates are over and Rick Perry can’t be forced to defend his attacks, he goes negative on both Republican front-runners: “He’ll overhaul Washington and toss out the corrupt insiders.” Yeah, Rick Perry’s going to clean up the corruption: Since 2001, more than a fifth of the $83 million that Mr. Perry has […]

Memo From the National Affairs Desk: Strange Rumblings in the Heartland

By this time a week from today — Dec. 26, the day after Christmas — I’ll be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, covering the final campaign leading up to the Jan. 3 caucuses, and I’m already getting advance vibes of serious Fear and Loathing in the Hawkeye State. There is so much to do between now […]

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