The moment when last night's GOP debate went off the rails.

Courtesy of Think Progress: 

During the second hour of the GOP debate in South Carolina on Saturday, the conversation went beyond anything ever seen in a Republican debate. 

After the six men hurled insults back and forth, the debate took a steep dive into chaos around when Cruz hit Trump for previously supporting liberal policies. 

“The next president is going appoint one, two, three, four Supreme Court Justices,” Cruz said. “If Donald Trump is president, he will appoint liberals. If Donald Trump is president… your Second Amendment will go away. You know how I know that?” 


CBS moderator John Dickerson cut him off. 

“Hold on gentlemen. I’m going to turn this car around,” Dickerson said.

"I'm going to turn this car around." Seriously?

These are supposed to be grown men, and they are acting like children fighting over a Gameboy in the backseat of their parent's car.

The above exchange, and when Marco Rubio accused Ted Cruz of not speaking Spanish, were my two favorite moments of the debate.

And by favorite, I mean moments when I hoped that those watching turned to each other and said "Well we certainly cannot let any of THESE idiots near the White House."

Lindsey Graham drops out of the GOP presidential race.

Courtesy of Politico: 

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is suspending his presidential run, he told supporters on a conference call Monday. 

His announcement came on the same day as the deadline hit for him to remove his name from the South Carolina primary ballot, a date that had been closely watched amid speculation that the low-polling Graham would want to avoid a potentially poor performance in his own state’s contest.

“I was hoping not to have to make this call, but I think the time has come for me to suspend my campaign,” he said as he opened the call. 

“We’ve come to a point now where I just don’t see how we grow the campaign without getting on the main stage,” he said. “One of the biggest problems we’ve had was to get our voice on equal footing with others. This second-tier debate process has been difficult for us. I think we’ve done well in the debates, it’s just hard to break through because the buzz doesn’t last very long.” 

You can see video of Lindsey Graham's message to his supporters here.

Maybe this helps to explain why Graham kept tearing up during the last GOP debate. He knew this was coming.

Well there goes another candidate tumbling out of the GOP clown car, who do we think is next?

George Pataki?

Rand Paul?

Rick Santorum?

Mike Huckabee?

Could be any one of them. Not that it really matters.

After all NONE of these folks have any hope of getting that nomination.

Republican Debate Open Thread.

Courtesy of CNN:  

Donald Trump will play the lead role in the second Republican presidential debate tonight -- but his rivals are jockeying to steal his spotlight. 

As the GOP's frontrunner, Trump will once again take center stage at CNN's debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. With Reagan's Air Force One as the backdrop, Trump will be flanked by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has been increasingly eager to take on the combative businessman. 

Meanwhile, one newcomer to the prime-time debate -- Carly Fiorina -- seems poised and ready to take on Trump directly. 

With the Iowa caucuses less than five months away and pressure mounting for the middle-tier candidates, the CNN debate offers an opening for candidates to deliver a presidential performance -- and avoid getting lost in the Donald Trump show. But a misstep could damage their presidential prospects.

At this point as much as I wish I could avoid seeing this, there is really no way to tear your eyes away.

It is like a car crash on a busy highway. Only it never ends and in every car is somebody that you really would not mind seeing horribly disfigured.

Was that a terrible thing to say? It was wasn't it?

Boy Trump's Twitter finger is going to be aflying tonight! #GOPDebate

— Gryphen 2009 (@Gryphen2009) September 17, 2015

Everything is all about Trump. He is like a virus that has infected the GOP body, and all it can do is focus on fighting the spread of the disease.

Carly Fiorina's drop the mic moment. 

Fiorina: I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said http://t.co/n4zNt2afFe #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/NPBsOESYgc

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) September 17, 2015

I still don't like her though.

Huffington Post still refusing to take the Donald Trump candidacy seriously.

"I'm serious. Why don't people think I'm serious? What's not serious about me?"

So here is a recent update from HuffPo courtesy of TV Newser who reached out to them:

We’re more committed to the decision than ever. Over the last month, we’ve seen our central argument proven right: that Trump is nothing more than a sideshow and not a legitimate presidential contender with serious policy ideas for moving the country forward. The GOP debate was fantastic reality TV, but it came across more like a twisted political version of “American Idol” than a presidential debate. And subsequent coverage reveals a collective media frenzy that’s embarrassing to credible media outlets – witness this weekend’s pandemonium around Trump’s helicopter at the Iowa State Fair. Otherwise serious journalists are being seduced by Trump because of his willingness to say and do outrageous things for headlines and ratings. We’re still not taking the bait.

I totally agree with virtually this entire statemnt.

And those points are made even more obvious by the fact that Sarah Palin is so quick to agree with every position Trump takes, because let's face it a phony knows a phony when they see one.

However some journalists are taking offense at this characterization including Chris Cillizza over at the Washington Post:  

Look, whether Huffington Post likes it or not, Trump is the frontrunner at the moment in the race for the Republican nomination. Ignoring that fact would be embarrassing for "credible media outlets." Trying to understand what's behind Trump's rise, fact-checking his statements and analyzing polling on the race are exactly the sorts of things that media organizations should be doing.

Yeah but the problem is that the media is not REALLY fact checking Donald Trump so much as  giving him credibility by treating him as if he is anything but a sideshow freak who stumbled drunkenly into the Big Top and distracted the audience from the main attractions.

Sure it can be argued that the GOP lineup is essentially made up of circus clowns, but the fact is that one of those clowns will be the Republican nominee for President.

And Donald Trump ain't him.

So yes HuffPo is right, and if the other journalists were serious they would follow their example.

Insiders predict that Rick Perry will be the first Republican to drop out of the race.

But look how cute I am in my new glasses. Doesn't that count for anything?

Courtesy of Politico:

Forty percent of early-state Republicans and nearly half of early-state Democrats believe Rick Perry will be the first candidate to drop out of the presidential race. 

That’s according to this week’s POLITICO Caucus, our weekly bipartisan survey of the top strategists, activists and operatives in Iowa and New Hampshire.

“No money and cannot gain traction, even though he has the best record and a superb message,” lamented an Iowa Republican. “Best retail politician I have ever seen, yet not able to pick up interest against a strong field. Where was this guy last time around?” 

Less charitably, another Iowa Republican said, “When you’ve suspended all staff pay, the writing is on the wall. His team suggests he’ll have a memorable debate moment. Unfortunately for Rick Perry, that moment happened in 2011, oops.” 

Recently Perry stopped paying his staff due to problems with fundraising, which is never a good sign.

And once the ex-Governor of Texas drops out that might start a chain reaction which will see others with low poll numbers following suit.

Right now according to Real Clear Politics Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham,and Bobby Jindal are all polling at around one point apiece. (In Graham's case that number is occasionally zero.)

Well personally I will be a little disappointed to see Rick Perry go. I was really looking forward to his one upping the famous "oops moment."

Oh well there are still plenty of clowns crowding the car, so I seriously doubt that the entertainment will stop any time soon.

You know this is happening behind the scenes.

Yep, today is the day that Scott Walker is expected to officially announce that he too would like to climb into the GOP clown car.

Of course it will be a little anti-climatic since somebody accidentally tweeted that he was running on Friday.

It really makes no difference who jumps into the race these days. Essentially it has now become just a mob of climate denying, Koch sucking, gaffe riddled morons.

Chris Christie enters the 2016 Republican primary. They're going to need a bigger clown car. Update!

Courtesy of the New York Times:  

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, whose meteoric rise as a national Republican in his first term was matched only by his spectacular loss of stature at home in his second, enters the 2016 presidential race on Tuesday morning bearing little resemblance to the candidate he once expected to be. 

The economic recovery he promised has turned into a cascade of ugly credit downgrades and anemic job growth. The state pension he vowed to fix has descended into a morass of missed payments and lawsuits. The administration he pledged would be a paragon of ethics has instead conspired to mire an entire town in traffic and the governor’s office in scandal.

Chris Christie joins a field that is already bulging at the seams with 13 candidates.

He also enters the race with the lowest polling numbers from his home state yet. With only 35% of New Jersey registered voters approving of his performance, and 51% disapproving, he comes into the race carrying a huge deficit.

Oh and of course there is also "Bridgegate." (Personally I think that soon the investigation will lead directly to Christie, and won't that make for some interesting questions from the press?)

Christie is even being mocked by the superintendent of the high school where he made his announcement this morning:

Jim O'Neill, the Livingston School District's interim superintendent, has repeatedly criticized Christie in the press since the Tuesday event's location was revealed. 

"It is my personal opinion that the governor adopts policies that he believes will serve his political agenda regardless of whether or not they are good or necessary," O'Neill told NJ.com. 

Right now I think Chris Christie's chances of winning the Republican nomination are about equal to Donald Trump's. 

In other words nonexistent.

Update: It might also be worth noting that the  editorial board of the Star-Ledger is now calling Christie a pathological liar.

Gee we know a couple of those, don't we?

Donald Trump refuses requests to release his birth certificate. Can you say "hypocrisy?"

Courtesy of the Guardian:  

Presidential hopeful Donald Trump has refused to release his long-form birth certificate and passport records, despite demanding the same from Barack Obama during the 2012 election. 

The Guardian contacted the Trump campaign to request the birth certificate and passport records of the Apprentice host, but a spokeswoman refused to share the documents. 

In October 2012, Trump, a prominent figure in the “birther movement” – a loose affiliation of people who claimed Obama was born outside the US – accused Obama of being “the least transparent president in the history of this country” for refusing to release the very details Trump is now refusing to publish. 

Seriously? 

Every time I think this guy could not get any more clownish he goes and proves me wrong.

Bobby Jindal: "I'm running for President." Move over GOP there is a new clown climbing into the car.

Courtesy of NBC News:  

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is officially running for president. 

The Republican governor tweeted on Wednesday that he's jumping in to the GOP nomination race, also sending out a link to a new campaign website. He is slated to hold an official announcement event Wednesday afternoon in New Orleans.

I’m running for President of the United States of America. Join me: http://t.co/MmqB4kxpUq

— Gov. Bobby Jindal (@BobbyJindal) June 24, 2015

If you click the link in the tweet you can see Jindal and his wife "surprise" his kids with the news.

It's just like candid camera in that it also makes Americans cringe. 

Bobby Jindal also has the distinction of having the lowest approval rating in his state of any current, or past, governor running for office.

So that should look really good on a bumper sticker.

Karl Rove does not consider Donald Trump to be a serious candidate. Duh!

Courtesy of Bloomberg:  

Republican strategist Karl Rove says he has a hard time imagining Donald Trump actually going through with his presidential bid and submitting filings that would reveal details about his finances. 

“This guy is not a serious candidate,” Rove said on Fox News Sunday. “As of Friday at 5:00, he had yet to file the one-page declaration of his candidacy with the FEC [Federal Election Commission]. The reason he's not is because once he does that, that triggers a 30-day period during which he has to lay out in excruciating detail the range of his liabilities and his assets. He gets to have two 45-day extensions. He will delay filing that piece of paper, and mark my words, he will delay and ask for extensions as long as possible.” 

“Ignore him. Look, he's completely off the base. 'I'm going to negotiate with ISIS'? 'I have a secret plan to deal with ISIS but I can't tell you about it because of my enemies'?” said Rove, a former adviser to President George W. Bush. 

“We ought to treat him as a serious candidate when he finally files that declaration and commits himself to unveiling all of his assets and liabilities,” Rove said.

I can't believe I am saying this but Rove has a good point.

After all how many times now has Trump  played this game?

He may be a bigger political prick tease than Sarah Palin herself.

Of course Trump being Trump he could not let this go without a response:

.@KarlRove, who spent $430 million in the last cycle and didn't win one race, said I'm not a candidate until I file papers. Next week Karl!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2015

And of course he wasn't done there.

.@KarlRove stated clearly that he wants to repeal the 2nd Amendment. I thought @FoxNews was going to fire that jerk after his Romney fiasco?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2015

.@KarlRove still thinks Romney won! He doesn't have a clue! @FoxNews

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2015

Man I love it when these arrogant assholes fight in public.

Sarah Palin welcomes Donald Trump into the clown car. Update!

"Oh God, she's even dumber than they say."

Courtesy of the Tundra Twit's Facebook page: 

@realDonaldTrump - Mr. Trump should know he's doing something right when the malcontents go ballistic in the press! ("Malcontents?" Okay that hurts.) There is no denying Donald J. Trump's accomplishments and drive to create opportunity for every willing American to succeed. (Does she not realize that the ONLY success that Trump has ever created was for himself?) His own success is testament to the job-creating achievements made possible when one applies the courageous and tenacious pro-private sector precepts we need to fire up the economy. (Didn't hurt that his father was a real estate tycoon either.) Trump joins a competitive field of GOP candidates that will duke it out in the arena of ideas and track records, a field representing diverse achievements. This, in contrast with the pro-big government party's practice of merely anointing a chosen one, thus robbing voters of healthy debate. 

Key to conservative's victory is to do our own vetting of each candidate, focus on their ability to unleash America's entrepreneurial spirit and dramatically shrink government in order to prioritize our nation's security. That means we ignore the media's participation in the liberals' Pantsuit Politics of Personal Destruction. (What the hell are "Pantsuit Politics?") THEN, on an even playing field, in 2016 we charge forward after the radical left hears America shout, "You're fired!" 

- Sarah Palin 

Well I think we can say with some certainty that tweedle dimwit here is still writing her own Facebook posts. That is pure undiluted Palin venom if ever I have seen it.

Look I am right with Palin in welcoming Trump to the party. Hell I am fairly giddy over his announcement.

And I am by no means alone.

Last night Jon Stewart had a "comedy-gasm" at the news and Larry Wilmore said that it was a gift from the comedy gods.

All I have to say is that as a political blogger 2016 could not have turned out better if I had sold my soul to the devil for a GOP lineup ready made for mocking.

There is really only one clown left that I want desperately to climb into the car.

Courtesy of Politicususa.

Update: Well this is interesting, yet unsurprising.

Apparently Trump hired actors to fill out the audience for his big announcement.

Well of course he did, because everything about this guy is phony.

Update 2: Unsurprisingly it looks as if Trump appreciated Palin's shout out.

Thank you Sarah--Let's have pizza in New York soon with you & your great family https://t.co/SQ6LsNZ6UC

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2015

Watching two attention seeking idiots like this stroking each others ego in public makes me a little nauseous.

Okay everybody scootch over in the clown car, Rick Santorum has just donned his red nose and announced he is joining the GOP circus.

Courtesy of CNN: 

Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator who mounted an unexpectedly strong bid for the Republican nomination in 2012, is making another bid for the White House.

Just what we need in 2016, another religious zealot, who hates progress, worships Ronald Reagan, and love the sound of his own voice.

The guy's a joke, but he is certainly not the only one running for the Republican nomination.

Here let's revisit some of the ridiculous things Santorum said that LAST time he lost the nomination.

Here he is on birth control:

"One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country.... Many of the Christian faith have said, well, that's okay, contraception is okay. It's not okay. It's a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be." 

Demonstrating his diplomacy:

"All the people who live in the West Bank are Israelis, they're not Palestinians. There is no 'Palestinian.' This is Israeli land."

And trotting out a little racism:

"The question is — and this is what Barack Obama didn't want to answer — is that human life a person under the Constitution? And Barack Obama says no. Well if that person — human life is not a person, then — I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say, 'We're going to decide who are people and who are not people.'"

Oh yeah, he will make a fine addition to the clown car. 

Did Marco Rubio even watch the show?

#MadMen finale - a reminder 20th Century was great, but it's over & it isn't coming back. It's time for New American Century. #TheEndOfAnEra

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 18, 2015

Yes because who wouldn't miss out of control sexism, racism, and alcoholism?

But wait, good news, those are all still with us.

(H/T to Salon.)

Now that Jeb Bush has tripped over himself and fallen face first in a candidate shredding machine just who do the Republicans have up next to lose to Hillary in the primary?

Let's take a moment to step over Jebbie's still smoldering corpse and take a peek inside that GOP clown car to see which sacrificial lamb has the best chance of making it to the top of that political altar, shall we?

According to the newest PPP Poll (Wait is that too many P's? I always use too many P's.) it looks like the Republican with the best chance might be Wisconsin's Scott Walker. (And by "best chance" I mean really no chance at all.)

Here is more courtesy of PPP: 

Walker's at 18% to 13% for Marco Rubio, 12% each for Ben Carson and Mike Huckabee, 11% for Jeb Bush, 10% for Ted Cruz, 9% for Rand Paul, 5% for Chris Christie, and 2% for Rick Perry. This is the third national poll in a row where we've found Walker ahead but he was at 25% in late February and declined to 20% and now 18% on the two subsequent surveys.

So Walker leads the pack (Just barely.) but has been steadily losing steam for the last several polls.

Not an encouraging sign.

Apparently the two that have shown some improvement are Mike Huckabee with a 6% increase and Marco Rubio with a 7% increase.(However does anybody really think that the Huckster and Mr. Thirsty really have a shot here?)

And the two that are taking it in the shorts are Jeb Bush (And this was before this most recent Iraq War gaffe.) and Ted Cruz, who both dropped 6%.

I want to say that this all looks pretty pathetic but I hate to associate that poor word with these idiots.

Let's take a look at the Democratic side of the aisle shall we? 

On the Democratic side Hillary Clinton leads with 63% to 13% for Bernie Sanders, 6% for Jim Webb, 5% for Lincoln Chafee, and 2% for Martin O'Malley. Clinton's over 60% with liberals, moderates, women, whites, African Americans, and seniors and is at least over 50% with men, Hispanics, and young voters.

To sum up, the highest polling numbers for a candidate on the GOP side is 18%, and that's dropping like a rock, and Hillary's numbers are still over 60% with virtually every demographic except white men (Though she's still hanging tough at 50%.), and that's AFTER the so-called e-mail scandal and the first anti-Clinton book has made the rounds.

Yeah I think my advice to Republican voters this time around is to drink heavily.

Mike Huckabee dons his red nose and clown shoes and takes his seat among the GOP presidential hopefuls.

Courtesy of the New York Times:  

Mike Huckabee, who excited evangelical voters in his first presidential race in 2008 and retains much of their good will, announced on Tuesday that he would again seek the Republican nomination, despite a crowded field of rivals for his natural base in the party. 

A former Southern Baptist pastor and Arkansas governor, Mr. Huckabee is returning in hopes of once more dominating among social conservatives, but he is acutely aware he needs broader support to avoid the snares of last time, when he ran dry of money and failed to appeal much beyond the South. 

After describing a childhood of school prayer, fishing trips and running for student council in Hope, Mr. Huckabee said, “So it seems perfectly fitting that it would be here that I announce I am a candidate for president of the United States.”

So with the addition of Huckabee we now have six clowns including Fiorina, Carson, Cruz, Rubio, and Paul crammed into the circus car and headed toward eventual defeat. Either in the primary when Jeb Bush and his busload of money runs them over, or (Supposing Jeb is discovered with a dead hooker in his car.) in the general when Hillary crushes them like insects under her fashionable high heels.

By the way it appears that Hucakbee has already hit the ground stumbling with his new campaign video called "Nailed Shut" during which he claims, "as governor of Arkansas, I cut taxes and welfare, balanced the budget every year for 10 years, and raised average family income by 50 percent."

Politifact says not so fast their Huckster:  

Huckabee said he "raised average family income by 50 percent" during his tenure as Arkansas governor. 

Once you account for inflation, Huckabee is incorrect. Income in Arkansas increased 20 percent, not 50 percent. 

That increase trailed nationwide trends. The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression, so we rate it Mostly False.

Of course Huckabee is a Republican so he is not really expected by his supporters to tell the truth or get facts right.  After all he doesn't want the voters to think that he's secretly a Democrat.

The truly entertaining part will be watching Huckabee and Cruz (And Santorium if he jumps into the race.) mud wrestling over the evangelical vote. 

That alone will require several bowls of popcorn.

Two more passengers have jumped into the GOP Presidential clown car.

Yesterday we learned that Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina have decided to throw their hats into the 2016 ring.

Courtesy of USA Today:  

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson told a Florida television station on Sunday that he is running for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. 

"I'm willing to be part of the equation and, therefore, I'm announcing my candidacy for president of the United States of America," Carson said in an interview with CBS affiliate WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Courtesy of CNN:  

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina announced her candidacy for president on Monday, becoming the first declared female candidate to seek the Republican Party's nomination. 

"Yes, I am running," Fiorina said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "I think I'm the best person for the job because I understand how the economy actually works. I understand the world; who's in it." 

The ex-Silicon Valley executive and long-shot White House contender has never held public office. In 2010, she unsuccessfully ran for Senate in California, losing to Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer.

In my opinion, and this is really saying something in a field that includes Ted Cruz, I think these are the two most pathetic GOP candidates so far.

The reason I say that is because I believe that the ONLY reason the Republicans want these two to run, and believe me they have no intention of letting them win, is race and gender.

Believe it or not conservatives see Carson as their version of Barack Obama, a smart black man.

And they see Fiorina as their answer to Hillary Clinton, a person with female plumbing. (Just like Sarah Palin was their answer to Hillary back in 2008.)

So essentially these two are camouflage and are being poorly used to cover for the conservative's innate racism and misogyny.

And the fact that they, on some level, realize this and are still willing to play their parts is, like I said, pathetic.

Marco Rubio officially climbs into the GOP clown car. Okay somebody remind me, he's the Hispanic one right?

"Un momento quiero ser presidente"

Courtesy of USA Today:  

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a telegenic rising star with appeal to conservative and establishment Republicans, told donors in a conference call today that he will run for president, according to multiple news reports. 

Rubio told his supporters he feels "uniquely qualified" to be president and criticized Hillary Clinton as "a leader from yesterday," the Associated Press reported. CNN and NBC News cite unnamed sources who have divulged Rubio's plans. 

The senator is set to hold a rally this evening at Miami's Freedom Tower.

You know following Hillary in making your announcement to run for President must be like having to go on stage following the Beatles in the sixties.

Currently Rubio is trailing behind just about every other possible GOP presidential candidate in the polls:  

In the latest CNN/ORC International poll, conducted March 13-15, 7% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said they would back Rubio, placing him in a tie for 6th place in the race for the Republican nomination. Rubio trailed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (16%), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (13%), Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (12%), former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (10%) and neurosurgeon Ben Carson (9%). He was tied with New Jersey governor Chris Christie at 7%.

So he is currently tied with the guy who is about to be indicted over bridge-gate.  Impressive.

You know I want to give the guy a fair shake, but it is just really hard when this was his most famous moment so far.

And I predict right here that after his campaign crashes and burns, this will STILL be his most famous moment.

Rand Paul's 2016 presidential campaign is not quite 24 hours old and it has already provided much grist for the mocking.

Courtesy of Huff Po:

Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) newly launched presidential campaign website, RandPaul.com, featured an unfortunate typo on its "education" issue page.

The spelling was corrected quickly Tuesday afternoon, as Paul was delivering his official presidential campaign announcement in Louisville, Kentucky. 

"I believe that education is the great equalizer, but too often our one-size-fits-all system leaves most kids behind. The Federal Government should not dictate what happens in our local classrooms. I believe we must abolish Common Core and give control back to the states, localities and parents," Paul says on the issue page.

You know the positive thing about the "one size fits all approach to education" is that it teaches people to spell "education" correctly.

But that was not all that the Paul campaign offered up to critics and late night comedians, and Jon Stewart did not waste a moment in taking advantage of that:

Click image to play video

Along with taking forever to get to the announcement, there were a few weird moments, like when former congressman J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) slipped and said Paul would become “the next United States of America."

And of course, as many of you know, video of the announcement was pulled from YouTube because during it they played a country western song (Of course.) without permission.

If that were not enough he threw a total conniption during his first real honest to goodness interview with the MSM after  declaring his candidacy:

If Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wants to be considered a serious presidential candidate, he's going to have to learn how to handle tough questions about his record without coming across as condescending. 

That much was clear on Wednesday, the morning after the Kentucky Republican announced his bid for the White House, when he tussled with NBC "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie over his past positions on Israel, Iran and the defense budget. 

"Why don't you let me explain instead of talking over me, OK?" Paul interjected, when Guthrie noted his shifting views. "Before we go through a litany of things you say I've changed on, why don't you ask me a question, 'Have I changed my opinion?' That would sort of be a better way to approach an interview." 

"No, no, no, no, no, listen, you're editorializing," he told Guthrie. 

Yeah it's always a good idea during an interview to explain to the journalist that they are conducting the interview incorrectly. That always comes off so well.

Now I knew that this campaign would eventually be FUBAR'd, but I have to admit that even I thought they might get through the first 24 hours without shooting themselves in the foot.

Nope.

Rand Paul announces he is running for President. Uses his wife to convince people he is not a crazy person.

Okay so Paul loved his grandmother and likes to build forts. What more could you ask from a presidential candidate?

"Rand Paul for President" pins already on sale just outside the ballroom where he will announce his 2016 campaign

A photo posted by Frank Thorp V (@frankthorpv) on Apr 7, 2015 at 6:42am PDT

Here is the video of Paul's announcement speech for those who are interested in watching it.

Paul has tried pretty hard to convince those outside of his party that he is a different sort of Republican by reaching out to young people (Like his father did before him.), women, and African Americans.

I his speech Paul talked about fighting the "Washington Machine," doing away with domestic spying, and refusing to give one more dollar to countries with anti-American sentiments. 

However though some of his anti-war and anti-spying viewpoints might line up with progressive voters, there are many of Paul's viewpoints that will leave them cold, and more than a little confused.

During debates Paul may come off as less of a lunatic than some of the other GOP hopefuls, but once the media starts doing a little digging they will discover a treasure trove of bizarre statements and half baked conspiracy theories that will inevitably signal the end of this campaign.

Right now Paul is trailing behind several of his potential GOP rivals, and ultimately I really doubt he will do a whole lot better than his father before him.

In our clown car coverage for this morning, Donald Trump has thrown his ego into 2016 presidential ring. Comedians everywhere drop to their knees to give thanks.

"I'm serious this time dammit! Why won't anybody take me seriously?"

Courtesy of the New Hampshire Union Leader:  

Donald Trump will launch a presidential exploratory committee Wednesday, the eve of the business mogul’s return to New Hampshire. 

A senior adviser tells the New Hampshire Union Leader that Trump will not be renewing his contract with NBC for the reality television “Apprentice” series. 

Combined with staff hires, Trump’s announcement that he will form an exploratory committee for the first time is a sign the billionaire is seriously considering running for the Republican nomination. 

Yeah, no he's not.  But he will play this thing out once again in order to attract some media attention and keep his name in the headlines.

Here is Trump's announcement. (You might want to wear hip waders for this): 

I have a great love for our country, but it is a country that is in serious trouble. We have lost the respect of the entire world. Americans deserve better than what they get from their politicians – who are all talk and no action! I have built a great company, created thousands of jobs and built a tremendous net worth with some of the finest and most prestigious assets in the world – and very little debt! All Americans deserve the same opportunity. Our real unemployment rate is staggering while our manufacturing base is eroding on a daily basis. We must rebuild our infrastructure, control our borders, support local control of education, greatly strengthen our military, care for our veterans and put Americans back to work! We must stop other countries from totally taking advantage of our representatives who are being out-negotiated at every turn. I am the only one who can make America truly great again!" 

Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I am simply incapable of imagining any scenario where Donald "Yes dammit that's my hair" Trump would be our only hope of saving America.

As for what he brings to the table as a candidate, I think that our President did a great job or outlining that during the Correspondent's Dinner back in 2011.

Yep, that about sums him up.

Look I am going to go ahead and count all of the little red noses as each of the buffoons climbs into the clown car, Just like I did when Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, and Mike Huckabee started making serious noise that they were exploring the possibility of running.

But we already know that the final two will be Hillary and Jeb Bush, so all of this is just a silly distraction from the real contest to come.  (P.S. This of course holds true if there is nothing super serious that derails one or both of these campaigns. And I mean dead hooker in the trunk serious, not used private e-mails serious.)