Republicans are a zany bunch, and the events of this presidential nominating contest get wackier by the day. It’s starting to feel as though we aren’t watching a nominating contest as much as we are feeding quarters into a game of political Whack-a-Mole, and few see fitness for the office, electability, or mental clarity as reasons for picking a presidential candidate. There isn’t any rhyme or reason left in this contest, and I’m not just talking about the candidates.
It tickles me that a man who has spent is his entire life making gobs of money in the private sector is considered the “establishment” guy while a man who has been a creature of the Beltway since the 1970s is considered some sort of crusading outsider sweeping in on his trusty steed to deliver us from Obama and his big government cronies.
None of this makes any sense, and no matter how many times I shake my head, close my eyes and stick my fingers in my ears, I still feel like I’m immersed in some odd fairy tale as Frothy, Horny, Dopey and Boring sway in unison to some song I don’t know the words to.
Gingrich’s rise from the ashes has had an unexpected effect on the Silver State, however. Thanks to Newt’s resurgence, Nevada’s caucuses are at least semi-relevant again. Our votes are going to count for something to someone, but what Nevada really needs to insert in this process is a bit of a history lesson.
This is a show we’ve seen here in Nevada. The 2010 U.S. Senate race also saw a well funded, sufficiently liked frontrunner with money to burn, facing off against a political has-been who had long been written off as too goofy to actually win the nomination.
She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named rose from the cheap seats like a rocket, tarring and feathering former casino executive Sue Lowden as some sort of moderate establishment hack who was secretly doing the bidding of Harry Reid because 25 years ago she donated a few bucks to his campaign. She rose to prominence backed by a tremendous amount of tea party hubris and between chants of “socialism!” and “Saul Alinsky!” she never once stopped to notice that her campaign, with all its cheap gaudy parlor tricks and little bags of red, white and blue jelly beans, never really got off the launch pad.
Democrats from sea to shining sea watched with glee, because with every point Lowden slipped in the polls, they were one point closer to reelecting their kingpin, Sen. Harry Reid. I can’t help but think the same thing is happening this time. Obama, although not in the same trouble as Reid was at the time, is breathing a little easier knowing that Newt Gingrich might actually get the nomination.
Is Newt Gingrich the same creature as She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Not exactly. Newt so far has been smart enough to pay people who play politics for a living to advise him, but that only goes so far. He never shies away from a microphone, and when he’s not bashing the “liberal media” for asking questions he doesn’t feel like answering, he has a tendency to wander a bit out into the weeds.
I’ve said before that few—if any—have a healthier knowledge of the workings of the United States government than Gingrich, but this isn’t a secret. The PR wizards propping up President Obama are looking for a two-fer, and if it’s Gingrich, they will make sure the conversation has little to do with the issues. Can you blame them, really? Open marriages, divorces, poor kids cleaning bathrooms—who really wants to talk about policy?
Remember, kids, the Republican caucus is Saturday, Feb. 4. By hook or by crook, get there, cast your vote, and let’s prove to the country that we have the stones to play in the political big leagues.