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Quick New Hampshire Update
Some aircard malfunctioning and schedule blips (driving 30 minutes for a cancelled interview takes a bite out of your day) have cut down my blogging, but I've been filling notebooks since last night. Some stuff I'd like to write about in more detail later:
- Chatted with Ron Paul at a private Merrimack meeting with undecided voters. He got a softball from me about how it felt to outpoll Rudy Giuliani in Iowa: "That was the highlight of the evening." He'd been gloomy about not coming in third, and a result-tabulating temporarily gave Rudy fifth place, which dropped his jaw until staff proved it wasn't actually happening.
- Caught a Mitt Romney town hall in Derry, a low-key and low-energy affair which had empty seats at the beginning and about 20 more by the end. Romney revealed something when he tried to prove the Iowa results represented an anti-Washington vote, and Barack Obama was part of that, and then warned that "we can not afford Barack Obama as the next president." Only about a fifth of the room applauded. Very, very different than when Republican candidates say the word "Hillary." Romney almost had a Biden moment complimenting Obama: "He's a nice fella. He's a well-spoken fella.
- Ran into Whitney Gravel, wife of Mike, and Vermin Supreme, the ever-present fringe candidate whose agenda promises "friendly fascism." (Both were reason readers, so no jokes, but there's video.)
- Tagged along with Ron Paul canvassers in Amherst as they tried to turn undecided independents and Republicans over to their side. It was revealing: I'll have video of that later.
I'm not quite sure if I'll be liveblogging the ABC News/WMUR/Facebok debates tonight, but there will be two threads: one for the 7 p.m. GOP debate, one for the 9 p.m. Democratic debate.
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:08PM|#
Hey, how 'bout a "quick Wyoming update" instead?
New Hampshire's primary is not til Tuesday.
Wyoming is the big news of the day. Rommey whooped some ass there.
8 Delegates to 2 each for Duncan Hunter and Fred Thompson. 1 for
John McCain.
And Ron Paul? Well, he didn't even score a single delegate despite
TV commercials and personal campaigning by him in Cheyenne.
Edward|1.5.08 @ 6:11PM|#
Prediction (Remember, you heard it from me first): RON PAUL WILL COME IN FIFTH IN NH!
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:11PM|#
You all should see the Paleo-libertarian response to Wyoming
today.
Hilarious!
At LewRockwell.com this morning they were telling all the Ron Paul
supporters to watch closely the results from Wyoming, hinting at a
big win for Paul. Talking about how WY was fertile field for Paul
being individualistic and Western, after all.
At about 2:20 pm the results came in: 8 for Romney, Zero for Ron
Paul.
By 2:50 pm this afternoon, Eric Garris was lashing out on LRC at
Wyoming Republicans calling them a bunch of old "Party Hacks."
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:13PM|#
Rudy didn't campaign in the State. Ron Paul did, with personal
visits, TV and Radio ads.
And Rudy and Mitt occupy the same Fiscal Con territory on the
political spectrum. A win for Mitt is a win for Mainstream
libertarians. As is a win by Fred or Rudy.
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:15PM|#
Edward, you must have ESP.
Literally 10 minutes ago, with great fanfare, CNN released their
"BIG POST IOWA, NEW HAMPSHIRE POLL."
McCain way ahead with 33%. Romney steady at 27%. Rudy in 3rd with
14%. Huck at 11% in 4th.
And they stopped there. Didn't mention other candidates.
Which means Ron Paul has less than 10% and is in fifth place.
|1.5.08 @ 6:17PM|#
Oh, and I can't wait until you start shilling for McCain after Romney goes down in defeat. That will take real mental gymnastics.
Edward|1.5.08 @ 6:21PM|#
Wyoming used archiac voting rules that favored party
hacks.
Every loser has a thousand excuses. It's a media conspiracy. The
media have been giving Ron Paul too much attention in order to
undermine his low-profile strategy.
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:21PM|#
Cesar, for the record:
IF ROMNEY, GIULIANI OR THOMPSON DO NOT WIN THE GOP NOMINATION ERIC
DONDERO RITTBERG WILL BE SUPPORTING WAYNE ROOT, LIBERTARIAN FOR
PRESIDENT!
The only way I'd support McCain is if he had a super, duper VP pick
like Sarah Palin, JC Watts, or Bill Weld.
Nutter|1.5.08 @ 6:22PM|#
I love watching Dondi edge away from Rudy over to Mitty. After Rudy is humiliated enough to get driven out of the race Dondi will be insisting that Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia, I mean, that he always supported Mitty.
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:24PM|#
Yeah Edward, I'm absolutely giggling my ass off at Eric Garris.
He sounds absolutely pitiful today. He's become a laughing
stock.
As if nobody would notice that in the morning LRC was plugging the
"Ron Paul will win big in Wyoming today" stay tuned line, and by
afternoon, those M$%@#$!$%$% F#%!^#$^ Wyoming Republican "Party
Hacks" had it in for Ron Paul.
Priceless. Everybody, mark this day down for future
reference.
Eric Garris (and Lew Rockwell) have officially become the
libertarian movement's biggest clowns, January 5, 2008.
thoreau|1.5.08 @ 6:24PM|#
Oh, shit, DONDEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO and EDWEIRDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO are
communicating, agreeing, and joining forces.
I expect their union to bring forth a troll the likes of which has
never been seen before.
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:24PM|#
Cesar, you could be right. Oh well, that just means I'll be
voting Libertarian.
God I hope the LP nominates Wayne Root, and not some Losertarian
like Phillies or Kubby.
Bingo|1.5.08 @ 6:25PM|#
I'm Eric Dondero and I support someone based on their pick of Vice President, not on any policies or values they hold.
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:26PM|#
Oh Shit! Thoreeeeeeuuuuuu has absolutely nothing to say about
his hero Ron Paul's absolutely SHUT OUT IN WYOMING! today.
How 'bout it Thoreeeeeuuuuu. Gonna be popping open some champagn
with the wifey tonight, toasting Ron Paul's "Glorious Wyoming
Win?"
xtrabiggg|1.5.08 @ 6:26PM|#
Sorry to burst your anti-Ron Paul Bubble, but here's the REAL
poll results from NH from RASSMUSEN:
Rasmussen Reports
Mid-date: 1/4/2008
New Hampshire
w/o Newt Gingrich
Est. MoE = 4.3%
John McCain 31%
Mitt Romney 26%
Ron Paul 14%
Mike Huckabee 11%
Rudy Giuliani 8%
Fred Thompson 5%
Unsure 3%
Other 2%
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:27PM|#
Bingo, I care about winning. And two old grey-haired white guys heading the GOP ticket is not going to cut it against Obama.
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:29PM|#
Sorry to bust your bubble, but the CNN/Muir Poll just released
1/2 hour ago has:
McCain - 33%
Romney - 27%
Giuliani - 14%
Huckabee - 11%
No mention of Paul or the others.
|1.5.08 @ 6:29PM|#
Yeah, run a black guy just because Obama is on the ticket. Because that worked so well in 2004 when Keyes ran.
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:30PM|#
And xtra Big, here's some other results you may find
interesting.
Wyoming GOP Caucus:
Mitt Romney - 8 Delegates
Fred Thompson - 2 Delegates
Duncan Hunter - 2 Delegates
John McCain - 1 Delegate
Ron Paul - 0 Delegates
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:31PM|#
Cesar, Keyes is an idiot.
JC Watts is extremely intelligent, bright and articulate. (To
plagiarize Joe Biden - no pun intended).
Bingo|1.5.08 @ 6:31PM|#
Yup, and that why the Republican party today is such utter shit.
Because they care about winning, not about values.
Thanks for finally admitting that values don't matter, winning
does.
Fake Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:32PM|#
I swear I started calling Mitt Romney a libertarian as a
trolling fake dondero before the real one did. I got a chuckle as
Lost_In_Translation bought it hook line and sinker and began
confronting the(presumably real) dondero with it.
Now He does it too!
|1.5.08 @ 6:32PM|#
Cesar, Keyes is an idiot.
Glad to know we finally agree on something.
BTW, you more scared of Obama than Clinton?
|1.5.08 @ 6:34PM|#
When I say "scared" I mean "scared he could beat Republicans more easily" not scared of his policies.
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:35PM|#
Dondero, McCain would pick Lindsey Graham as VP. I'd bet
money on it.
Why? McCain already ahs the best numbers among Gay conservatives--
he doest need Lindsthy
|1.5.08 @ 6:40PM|#
Why? McCain already ahs the best numbers among Gay conservatives-- he doest need Lindsthy
Unnecessary homophobia aside, Grahm has supported McCain since
2000. Hes one of his oldest, most consistent supporters.
Faker Dondero|1.5.08 @ 6:56PM|#
Hey DingDondero, why did you drop out of the race for Ron Paul's Congressional seat? Perhaps you were told so many times that you are unelectable and an intellectual lightweight, that it finally sank in?
charlie|1.5.08 @ 6:58PM|#
Shorter Dondero: "Ron Paul doesn't understand the ISLAMO-FASCIST (!!!) threat and is irrelevant. That's why I spend eight hours a day scouring the internet for blog posts about him -- so I can remind people how irrelevant he is. [*Insert name-dropping and ahistorical account of how true libertarianism means killing and destroying the private property of innocent brown people on the other side of the globe*]"
|1.5.08 @ 7:00PM|#
Giuliani's best strategy is simply not to campaign in any states from now on. That way, when he finishes in sixth in all the rest of the primaries, he can say it's because he didn't try!
|1.5.08 @ 7:03PM|#
THis is an interesting debate format. Gibson gives a topic, and
they discuss amongst themselves. No time limits, etc.
We'll see how it works in practice...
|1.5.08 @ 7:11PM|#
Ooooo, they're playing the George Bush "humble foreign policy" answer clip from 2000...Paul must be salivating!
|1.5.08 @ 7:13PM|#
OK, this format's not going to work. Huckabee's trying to monopolize, and now everyone else is going to do the same. You boys play nice!
Jerk|1.5.08 @ 7:16PM|#
After Chris Rock pointed out that prominent black politicians are always described as "well-spoken" with "well-spoken" being sort of racist I'm surprised Mitt would call Obama that.
|1.5.08 @ 7:18PM|#
McCain says he was the only one on the stage who disagreed with
the president's Iraq strategy at the time.
This isn't the FOX debate, John.
|1.5.08 @ 7:30PM|#
Ron says, "How come they attack the US instead of
Europe?!"
No, Ron, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
|1.5.08 @ 7:33PM|#
Crimethink, I think the moment where they all stumbled over themselves to scream THEY HATE US FOR OUR FREEDOM! to Paul is the moment the Republican Party has gone certifiably insane.
|1.5.08 @ 7:33PM|#
Wow, this format is a mess. Now we get a YouTube-style video question from some guy George B. in Washington, DC. Looks familiar.
|1.5.08 @ 7:36PM|#
Well, we've had a Mitt-Ron confrontation now, so I guess Fred is the only one who's been denied that so far.
|1.5.08 @ 9:17PM|#
Haven't seen the debates yet, but I'm betting on fifth for RP in NH. That Rasmussen poll looks nice and all but it's based on a market-based prediction methodologies that could easily be manipulated by gung-ho RP supporters. Zogby, who pretty much nailed Iowa, is calling for fifth for RP.
Eric Dondero|1.5.08 @ 9:29PM|#
Iowa and New Hampshire are important. But Wyoming is the news of
the day. Today is Saturday. It is the day for the Wyoming Caucus.
We've got plenty of time tomorrow, and Monday to talk New
Hampshire.
Now, let's kindly turn our attentions back to the big news of the
Day:
Despite predictions of a "Great Surprising Victory" for Ron Paul in
Wyoming, he did not win a single Delegate.
Despite commercials aired on TV and radio throughout Wyoming, and
at least one personal appearance by Ron Paul, he did not win a
single Delegate.
Night, night, Ron Paul fans. Pleasant dreams. Dreams of grasslands,
Mountains, and Cowboys... Dreams of Wyoming...
|1.5.08 @ 9:34PM|#
Congratulation Fake Dondero, you imitate real Dondero very
well.
And I'd applaud Dondero for his campaign's victory in Iowa and
Wyoming, only they didn't win anything, so there's not alot to
congraulate. It is nice to see that we are so annoying to him that
he can't hold in his glee that Paul also failed to win.
I just wish Dondero would admit he's not a libertarian and we could
all move on.
Edward|1.5.08 @ 10:29PM|#
Do libertarians do excomunications? Exorcisms? The post-Ron Paul depression will need some coping ritual. How about a mock funeral?
Brandybuck|1.5.08 @ 10:37PM|#
Can someone please kick Eric in the nuts for me? While I do appreciate his work in ferreting out third party news, his bizarre obsession with Ron Paul is disturbing. Did Ron piss in Eric's cornflakes or something? If Eric was a woman, he would be writing rants in lipstick on Ron's windshield. Sheesh.
Edward|1.5.08 @ 10:47PM|#
Wait a minute, this is a Ron Paul cheering club where people who can type actually think that a kooky old fart who mixes extremist libertarian economic bromides with extremist anti-immigrant rhetoric and a Christian Indentity-like take of the Founding Fathers actually has a chance of winning the Republican nomination, and Branybuck thinks Eric Dondero' obsession with Ron Paul is bizarre? Wow!
|1.5.08 @ 11:35PM|#
Sorry to hear about Ron's loss in Wyoming. Wish he had done
better in Iowa, too.
Still, over a million people were killed by Bush-Cheney policy in
Iraq who didn't need to die. Millions more lives might hang in the
balance, should the wrong person be elected this time.
The cause of freedom and peace is never easy. We've got to keep
trying.
Ayn R. Key|1.6.08 @ 1:01AM|#
Come to this blog and watch Edward and Eric mastrubate each
other. Sickening.
By the way, Dondero, how can you balance the cognative disonance of
advocating for socially fascist fiscally fascist Giuliani and
actual libertarian Root?
Brandybuck, the reason Dondero claims to hate Paul is foreign
policy. The reason Dondero really hates Paul is because Paul fired
his sorry neoconservative ass.
|1.6.08 @ 1:24AM|#
ERIC,
you are indeed a pathetic "disgruntled former employee," as the
good Doctor puts it. Have you secured employment since Dr. Paul
kicked you out on your arse? Or do you get off by sitting in front
of your computer all day? Don't you have a family to support?
And, one more thing...how bout an update on your Congressional
campaign in TEXAS?
Eric Dondero|1.6.08 @ 8:05AM|#
Tom Davis, you are obviously ignorant and misinformed.
Ron and I had been on relatively good speaking terms for the last 3
years, after I left my job with him. In fact, I've used him on a
couple occasions as an employment reference for interpeting
assignments. I know for a fact, he gave me a good reference on at
least one occasion.
Plus, for months after I left he kept calling me, to shoot the
shit. Let me repeat that: He called me! I did not call him.
And I mean literally to shoot the shit. He had nothing to say. He
just called me. Mumbled stuff about gardening, wanted to check in
on how his banana trees were doing in my backyard. (Ron and I
always shared a backyard gardening hobby - we could talk for hours
about landscaping, and we often did. He's an expert in the field,
much better than I am.)
And I would urge you to go back to February or last year, (might
have been January?), when Paul first announced. I wrote a generally
positive op-ed for www.libertarianrepublican.blogspot.com on his
candidacy and wished him the best.
No, EVERYTHING CHANGED, that famous night last May at that debate
when Ron Paul blamed the United States of America for the attacks
of 9/11, and not the Radical Muslim Terrorists. My opinion of him
changed 180 degrees.
Eric Dondero|1.6.08 @ 8:07AM|#
Key, you forget Pro-Choice and Paul's opposition to the Death
Penalty. Both very HUGE issues to me.
The real question is how can you claim to be a libertarian and yet
support someone who wants to force women to sneak into Mexico or
Canada to protect their reproductive rights?
Whose the Fascist again?
Pro-Choice Rudy Giuliani, or Abortion Outlawing Ron Paul?
Eric Dondero|1.6.08 @ 8:11AM|#
Why does Eric Dondero despise Ron Paul so much?
Ron Paul spit on his own country back in May of last year at a
Republican debate, by blaming the United States of America for the
attacks of 9/11, instead of the Muslim extremists like Muhammed
Attah and Khalid Sheikh Muhammed who planned and carried out the
attacks.
And if you deny that that's why he said, keep in mind, that Wendell
Goler of Fox News, explicitly and forcefully gave Ron Paul the
chance to revise his remarks, asking Paul, "You didn't really mean
to blame the United States for 9/11 now did you?"
Paul's response?
He skipped into a tirade about Saudi Arabia and never answered the
question.
Utter|1.6.08 @ 10:22AM|#
Sometimes I get up in the morning and wonder, "Who is Eric
Dondero?"
So I go
and read this to remind myself
|1.6.08 @ 11:34AM|#
And so we get to the heart of the matter.
Eric Dondero believes when you're fighting a war, you're always
right and they're always wrong. It's simple like that. Your side is
just and couldn't possibly have done anything to inspire such
hatred on the other side. You were innocently trying to help carry
groceries across the street for the little old country that lives
down the street from you when bam, someone runs you over on a
bike.
Yep, that's my good old USA, always doing what's right and never
compromising its ethics and integrity for the sake of
expediency.
|1.6.08 @ 11:56AM|#
I wonder if Edward saw Ron on Bill Moyers on Friday night? His remarks on Christianity, for example? Or will he continue to quote the same statement over and over?
|1.6.08 @ 12:25PM|#
Ah, I can see the campaign ad now.
Rudy Giuliani: Pro-Choice, Pro-War, Pro-Death!
Ali|1.6.08 @ 12:33PM|#
Cesar-
Ah, I can see the campaign ad now.
Rudy Giuliani: Pro-Choice, Pro-War, Pro-Death!
Campaign ad? Well, there
you go. And here is a lovely variation.
Ayn R. Key|1.6.08 @ 1:30PM|#
Dondero asks who is the real fascist? It is still
Giuliani.
First, Paul, while Pro-Life is going to send it back to the states.
Do you honestly think California or Massachusets are going to be
pro-life? If so, you really are dumber than I though.
Second, while Giuliani is pro-choice, he's also for government
funding of abortion. How is that libertarian?
Third, can you tell me how Giuliani's treatment of Michael Milken
is fiscally conservative? Can you tell me how Giuliani's stand on
the drug war is socially tolerant?
effay|1.6.08 @ 1:54PM|#
It's funny how Dondero is aligning with Mitt and Fred now that
Rudy is getting crushed.
I'm still waiting for this guy to explain how democracy is breaking
out with "lightening speed" in the Middle East; how the entire
Middle East is not "exploding" because of our invasion of Iraq; how
democracy and freedom are flourishing in the Middle East. Actually
I think we are all waiting.
Brandybuck|1.6.08 @ 3:06PM|#
No, EVERYTHING CHANGED, that famous night last May at that debate when Ron Paul blamed the United States of America for the attacks of 9/11, and not the Radical Muslim Terrorists. My opinion of him changed 180 degrees.
Imagine you're a prostitute. Your business is to wear miniskirts
and high heel boots, and "cruise" for johns. Then one day while
crusing through one of the rougher areas of town, you get raped.
Who is to blame? Obviously the rapist is to blame. But the
prostitute was still stupid for flaunting herself in a bad part of
town. She is in some small part to blame for her assault.
It's very similar to the the US's foreign policy. We're like a
hooker crusing the international scene, stroking off dictators and
such. Then one day we were assaulted. There is no excuse for Al
Qaeda's attack, but we need to be adult enough to realize that our
foreign policy is stupid.
Ron Paul NEVER said that we were to blame, but he did speak the
truth when he said that our foreign policy is stupid.
|1.6.08 @ 5:25PM|#
Eric,
You, and the others in the "blame America" crowd, are the ones
spitting--all over Paul for being willing to critique failures in
foreign policy.
When we talk about how the welfare state is failing and bankrupting
us, or Social Security is doing likewise, or about how bloated and
overly-powerful the federal government has become, we don't call
that "blaming America", we say it is a reasonable critique of
policy failures.
But Paul points out: that we, for all intents, created Osama bin
Laden; that we overthrew the Iranian government and enabled the
Shah to repress the people, thereby creating massive resentment;
that we supported both Iran and Iraq (specifically Saddam Hussein!)
against each other, in the same war; that we largely ignored al
Qaeda during the Bush administration's obsession with Iraq, and
thus allowed al Queda to grow more powerful then at any time since
9/11...you call that blaming America? Spitting on his own
country?
Eric, pointing out failures in policy is reasonable, expected, and
even patriotic. Paul is trying to help our country prevent future
catastrophes by honestly assessing the causes and contributing
factors. The terrorists themselves perpetrated the act, but that
does not mean people like you should be allowed to blind us to the
fact that horrible, short-sighted foreign policy moves and
philosophies lead into it.
If you come to my house and stead my crap, I'm not going to like
you. If America goes into Iran in 1952 and overthrows their
government to prevent then from gaining control over their oil,
then the Iranians are not going to like us. Now replay that type of
action over and over again in Pakistan, Palestine, Iran, Iraq,
Saudi Arabia, etc., and try to ignore the repercussions. It's
common sense, and it's a critique of American actions. Call it
blaming America if you want, but we have to deal with the
realities.
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