VIDEO- Anti-government Idaho candidate: "I'm not an authority on world governments"

By GottaLaff

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Idaho gubernatorial candidate and militia man Dr. Rex Rammell doesn't like our form of government. It has completely taken over, don't you know. But when Chris Matthews asked him where there's a better government than ours...

"I'm not an authority on world governments."

Good answer, Doc. What a keen mind you have. What a well thought out response. Same goes for your answers about the Air Force, Medicare, and Social Security.

Entitlement programs are unconstitutional, and the 16th and 17th amendments should be repealed.

Here's what he really wanted to say: Repeal President Obama.

Rick Perry ahead in Texas elections

By GottaLaff

Governor GOP - Primary

237 of 8,236 precincts - 3 percent

• Rick Perry (i) 106,145 - 52 percent
• Kay Bailey Hutchison 61,357 - 30 percent
• Debra Medina 35,268 - 17 percent

It was reported more than once that Kay Bailey Hutchison was a goner. "Throw in the towel" were the words being bandied about.

Now ClapTrap McLenoGuest can bask in more ClusterFox schlock and awe over her obvious hypnotic effect over Texas voters.

How'd she know he'd win? Someone read her palm?

Kay Bailey Hutchison Throws in the Towel?

By GottaLaff

Last October 28, I put up a post called "Why Kay Bailey Hutchison Will Lose":

Who could imagine a more engaging campaigner than Dickless McHeartStent:

Former Vice President Dick Cheney will throw his support behind Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's (R-TX) campaign for Texas governor, the AP reports.

Hutchison is challenging Gov. Rick Perry (R) in a Republican primary.

Okay, maybe she won't lose... but only because Rick Perry is such an easy target.

The premise may have been correct, but my last line wasn't:

With polls showing her way behind in the Republican gubernatorial primary, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) acknowledged to the AP that Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) "has succeeded at casting her as a Washington insider, hindering her effort to kick him out of the Texas governor's mansion."

Said Hutchison: "It definitely has made it more difficult for me. I didn't think that people would buy that because I've been so effective for Texas."

No surprise there, Kay. People have been buying lies, hypocrisy, the selective acceptance of those using the "R" word, secessionists, ignorance of the issues, gaffitude for a long, long time... but enough about Sarah Palin.

Speaking of Palin, she endorsed Perry. Their mutual admiration should ensure him a loss in 2010.

"Perry seems to be riding a national wave of frustration directed at Washington politicians - the same anger that has fueled the "tea party" movement and complicated the Democrats' plans to overhaul the nation's health care system. The long-serving governor who has campaigned as populist has repeatedly criticized Hutchison for pushing earmarks and voting for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout."

Nothing makes sense any more.

Cartoon of the Day

Click to enlarge, via.

Texas Governor's Race Could Be Headed to a Runoff

Wow, Hutchinson must be really ticked by getting outrun by that reactionary hickboy. Via Taegan-

A new Public Policy Polling survey finds the Republican primary for Texas governor on a path to a runoff. Surprisingly, however, the runoff could be between Gov. Rick Perry (R) and Debra Medina (R), leaving Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) as the odd-woman out.

Perry currently leads with 39%, followed by Hutchison at 28% and Medina at 24%.

Analysis: "Medina supporters say their second choice is Perry by a 43-39 margin over Hutchison, suggesting that if Perry does win by ten points but still end up in a runoff Hutchison's prospects for gaining ground on him are not that strong."

The primary is in three weeks.

Rudy Giuliani Will Take a Pass

Dammit, I miss pics of him in dresses and stories about wifey Judy and her expensive purses.

Rudy Giuliani is expected to announce tomorrow that he's not running for governor, U.S. senator or any other office next year, the New York Daily News reports.

Instead, he's expected to declare that he's staying in the private sector and will endorse fellow Rick Lazio (R) for governor.

"The longer [Rudy] holds out, the more it seems like we're all being had -- again."

By GottaLaff

Rudy should be on the Tee Vee Machine hawking Flowbees:

Late last week, the big scoop was that Rudy Giuliani (R) would not run for governor and instead had decided to challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

But we've heard nothing from Giuliani since that "news" broke.

New York Observer: "So here we are, five days later, and everyone is still trying to figure out what Rudy wants to do in 2010 -- except now, the focus is on the Senate race, not the governorship. This is exactly how he likes it, of course. He can maintain this holding pattern for weeks, maybe even months, as long as enough of us play along. But the longer he holds out, the more it seems like we're all being had -- again."

So-called America's Mayor is actually America's Player.

Giuliani Is Said to Have Decided Not to Run for Governor

By GottaLaff

From the Department of Because He Knew He Would Lose:

Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has decided not to run for governor of New York next year after months of mulling a candidacy, according to people who have been told of the decision.

His decision is a blow to many Republican leaders, who had viewed Mr. Giuliani as the strongest potential candidate in a year in which voter anger and anti-Albany sentiment appear to be swelling. [...]

It was not clear what prompted the decision, but the prospect of potentially facing Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, who is quietly planning his own run for governor, may not have appealed to Mr. Giuliani, who suffered a bruising defeat in the 2008 Republican presidential primary. [...]

It remains unclear if the former mayor is considering any other political race in 2010.

6 out of 7 GOP candidates for governor in Illinois will opt out of public option

By GottaLaff

I'm sure all those voters whose health and/or savings will be at stake based on your "opting out" politics will thank you. Way to play with the health and lives of fellow Americans:

All seven candidates, to varying degrees, competed to be the most conservative, the biggest "outsider," the most opposed to tax hikes, and the most opposed to increased government spending on health care.

"If I wanted to be part of socialized medicine, I'd move to Europe," said state Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale). [...]

Six of the seven candidates said that as governor, they would "opt out" of any new federal government-funded health care plan. Ryan said he'd want to see it first.

But wait! There's more!

Asked what the state could do to prevent disasters such as Thursday's mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, most of the candidates talked about better communication with the National Guard and the state's other law enforcement entities. Brady said a law allowing Illinois residents to carry concealed guns "would help to respond to incidents like this as well as the tragic incident that occurred on Northern Illinois University's campus."

Yes! Yes! By all means, more guns are needed to shoot more people who also have guns! What a healthy trend. And speaking of health...

Not only will people lose their lives due to lack of affordable health care, they'll also increase the likelihood of dying at the hands of a fellow gunslinger.

America just keeps on getting more civilized, doesn't it? Do unto others...

H/t: Windy City Watch

Why Kay Bailey Hutchison will lose

By GottaLaff

Who could imagine a more engaging campaigner than Dickless McHeartStent:

Former Vice President Dick Cheney will throw his support behind Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's (R-TX) campaign for Texas governor, the AP reports.

Hutchison is challenging Gov. Rick Perry (R) in a Republican primary.

Okay, maybe she won't lose... but only because Rick Perry is such an easy target.

Half of South Carolina Wants Sanford to Quit

If he didn't keep on reminding people that he was still there with all these stupid pressers for no reason, he'd be in a much better situation. Via Taegan.

Half of South Carolina voters want Gov. Mark Sanford (R) to resign, according to a new InsiderAdvantage poll.

The survey shows that 49.5% of voters say it is time for Sanford to go, while 36.6% said the embattled governor should remain in office.

"Sanford is actually in a weaker position now than he was in the same poll shortly after he admitted in June to an affair with an Argentine woman, when 49.8% of South Carolinians thought the governor should stay, while 41.4% said he should resign."

Countdown: Sarah Palin's Greatest Hits

Video- David Letterman: Top Ten Things Overheard At Sarah Palin's Farewell Party

Video- Sarah Palin's Wasilla goodbye picnic draws a crowd

Toodloo honey. Jonathan has some good analysis of the situation as Palin leave.

Sarah Palin- Serial Liar

I had seen a few lists of her recent lies, but Andrew gets right down into the muck. Here's just a few, lots more here.

After you have read these, ask yourself: what wouldn't Sarah Palin lie about if she felt she had to?

Palin lied when she said the dismissal of her public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, had nothing to do with his refusal to fire state trooper Mike Wooten; in fact, the Branchflower Report concluded that she repeatedly abused her power when dealing with both men.

Palin lied when she repeatedly claimed to have said, "Thanks, but no thanks" to the Bridge to Nowhere; in fact, she openly campaigned for the federal project when running for governor.

Palin lied when she denied that Wasilla's police chief and librarian had been fired; in fact, both were given letters of termination the previous day.

Palin lied when she wrote in the NYT that a comprehensive review by Alaska wildlife officials showed that polar bears were not endangered; in fact, email correspondence between those scientists showed the opposite.

Palin Quit Over "Runners World" Curse?

I dunno, the Ear at the ADN makes a pretty compelling case, comparing it to the Sports Illustrated Jinx.

There are a zillion theories about why Sarah called it quits, but only Ear and a few insiders know the truth.

It's the Runner's World curse. Spawn of the infamous Sports Illustrated curse wherein the team or athlete featured in a cover story about how great they are inevitably tanks.

Sarah stars in the "I'm a Runner" feature in the August issue of Runner's World, which rarely profiles politicians. Previous starring politicos include N.Y. Gov. David Paterson, former N.Y. Gov. Elliot Spitzer and would-be president John Edwards.

See? A curse.

**BTW, doesn't that look suspiciuosly like a yoga pose in that picture? Yoga is a no-no for Christian fundamentalists***.

***clarified

Video- Pundits React On Palin Resignation

This isn't going away. Yeehaa!

DNC reacts: Palin decision 'continues a pattern of bizarre behavior'

Oooooh.

DNC Spokesman Brad Woodhouse:

"Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long shot national political ambitions or she simply can't handle the job now that her popularity has dimmed and oil revenues are down. Either way – her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today."

Sarah Palin will announce she is resigning as governor in a few weeks**

Oh puhleeze. I dare one of the reporters there to ask about her treatment of the flag in her "Runners World" spread. Added- I went over to Mudflats to see what they were saying about this and came back with this ULTRA graphic. Kudos to Flyinureye.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will make what her office is only calling an "announcement" at 11 AM local (3 Eastern) from her home in Wasilla.

Speculation is raging both in Alaska and in the Lower 48 that she'll reveal her plans regarding next year's gubernatorial race.

3:03PM
CNN confirming she will not run again for governor in Alaska. No shit, it would interfere with her presidential ambitions, also and such.

3:24p- Wha huh? ** Headline adjusted to reflect the wha huh.

WASILLA, Alaska -- Gov. Sarah Palin will resign her office in a few weeks, she said during a news conference at her home Friday morning.

Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the Governor's Picnic at the end of the month.

There was no immediate word as to why she will resign, though speculation has been rampant that the former vice presidential candidate is gearing up for a run at the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

Rudy Giuliani Still Considering Run for Governor of New York

Nothing but fun times ahead if he decides to run. I mean, really, who gets tired of cross dressing serial adulterer jokes? Via Taegan-

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) said that he is considering running for governor of New York in 2010, Politico reports. But he was very coy about it.

Said Giuliani: "I don't know if I am or if I'm not."

A more definitive sign he's considering it: The former mayor speaks to John Avlon "on how he might how he'd tame the nation's most dysfunctional legislature." Avlon is a former Giuliani speechwriter.