Generic 2016 US Election Cycle Recycling Bin

It’s not code. It’s unalloyed opportunism. Your worldview aside.

(See? I can be dismissive too.)

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Hmmm. Separated at birth?

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So…tonight was the end of Rubio?

I’m gonna say that’s a good thing, as is success for Cruz. I don’t like either, but I think Rubio would do better in a general, whereas Cruz has less chance than Trump. And Kasich…meh. I don’t think enough republicans want to pick a grownup.

Decent night for Bernie (although 538 says he did worse than he needed because of Louisiana), so I’m pretty happy, all told.

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Yeah, that’s been my feelings. Rubio has that TV charisma that could only be derailed by a self-goal like the night of the Rubot. To be sure, he has the potential to be a strong candidate in 2020.


Relatedly, I hate it when the national press misses the point

Rubio will stay. His home state of Florida votes on March 15th, and he is betting everything on it, just as John Kasich, who finished fourth in three states on Saturday and third in one, is counting on Ohio, which he governs, and which also votes that day.

At this point neither Rubio nor Kasich can hope for a majority of delegates or even, really, a plurality of them. They’re after enough of them to prevent Trump from getting a majority himself.

Um, no. Both Rubio and Kasich want to prove that they can carry their home states of FL and OH, which have been pivotal in the last several elections, so they can boost their appeal as VPs.

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Stay frosty, Uncle Joe.

Ted Cruz? An inspiration to every kid in America who worries that he’ll never be able to run for president because nobody likes him. He’s running. And look, I told Barack, if you really, really want to remake the Supreme Court, nominate Cruz. Before you know it, you’ll have eight vacancies.

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[size=150]Slate: Ben Carson Was a Terrible Candidate Who Raised a Ton of Money and Did Nothing With It[/size]

[quote]Carson burned through roughly $54 million as of the end of January, nearly $13 million more than Cruz did and roughly the same amount as Rubio and Trump spent combined.
[…]
Carson’s [donor] lists, meanwhile, are considered even more valuable on a per-donor basis than typical ones because so many of his backers were first-time donors, making them less likely to be on all those other lists already available for rent. By one estimate given to CPI, the Carson campaign could bring in upwards of $4 million over the next three years as a result. Not bad for 10 months of work.[/quote]

Remember Stephen Colbert in 2012, demonstrating how SuperPAC money could be transferred to the SuperPAC owners’ own bank accounts, tax-free? Remember Sarah Palin touring America in a campaign bus, raising $millions for her SuperPAC, and then not running?

ThinkProgress: As Ben Carson’s Campaign Tanked, Top Advisors Reaped Millions

[quote]Carson’s newly disclosed fourth quarter spending shows huge payments to companies controlled by his current and former advisors.
[…]
The campaign also paid more than $2.3 million to InfoCision, a controversial company that has previously raised money for political action committees that spent the bulk of their money on overhead only.[/quote]
The real effect of Citizens United is fake political campaigns. “Candidates” running not to win, but to raise money.

Carson has a new job: National chairman of My Faith Votes, an organization focused on getting Christian Americans to the polls.

The TV evangelists are going to get some serious competition looting seniors’ savings.

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That may not be all bad news as the strategy correlates to passing the ACA and publicly splitting the GOP into at least three squabbling, unpopular factions (neocons, evangelicals and rich kids).

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You guys have no idea how entertaining it is to Photoshop Cruz’s face onto people.

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Sounds like Sanders is doing well in Maine tonight.

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The hedgehog is reaching out across the aisle.


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Best line from debate?

“I am very glad … Secretary Clinton has discovered religion on this issue,” Sanders said, referring to her position on trade. “We’ve lost 60,000 factories since 2001, they’re going to start having to — if I’m president — invest in this country, not in China, not in Mexico.”

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Bloomberg rules out running explicitly because he thinks it would lead to Cruz or Trump becoming President.

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Does he think a bunch of democrats would vote for him? How popular was he when he wrapped up his last term as NYC mayor?

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If Sanders were the nominee, with Trump on the other side, Bloomberg might pick up the centrist votes, I guess?

Nate Silver just tweeted the most bizarre/optimistic projection of how he’d do.
(not sure of its provenance)

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also

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The crazy, it burns!

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Wow, I have such pity for the starving actors who saw no alternative to helping choke out that steaming turd.

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