The "Ryan Plan" has become the Holy Grail for Republicans...

If you criticize it, you are disqualified from running for President of the United States.

Newt Gingrich put his foot in his mouth on Meet the Press and has not got it out yet. He criticized the Ryan plan and was attacked viciously by the conservatives and the "tea baggers" in his Party.

It appears that the Republicans are imploding. Huckabee, a credible opponent for Obama, dropped out of the race last week. As did Donald Trump. They are all bouncing around like bowling pins and none may be standing after running the gauntlet of the Ryan plan and the Tea Party expectations?

In the end, Repubs tend to go after the experienced and establishment candidates. That means it would be someone like Pawlenty or Romney. They will probably be the last two standing.

Maybe. Pawlenty can't resist pandering to the teabaggers, so he might be able to weasel his way to the nomination ("weasel" is a word that should regularly be applied to T-Paw. "Tool" is another). He will endorse the Ryan plan wholeheartedly because he has already demonstrated his willingness to fuck the poor as governor of MN. But he makes watching paint dry look like Le Cirque du Soleil.

Romney is already stuck with having to defend and/or repudiate the Massachuetts health plan, which kind of goes against everything Ryan wants to do; and being a Mormon he is a heretic in the eyes of the wingnut evangelicals -- but where else will they go?

Both of those nimrods are "respectable" enough to satisfy the big corporate donors - they wear nice suits and usually avoid saying really insane things - but either of them might have to pick a Palin-type like Bachmann as a running mate to keep the loons coming to the polls. If Pawlenty gets it, Bachmann can't be his running mate because they're both from the same state. And I don't think Romney would pick her (but then, I didn't think McCain would be crazy enough to pick Palin). This will be interesting to watch...

I think you are right on both Pawlenty and Romney but who else do they have??

Don't count him out - you know he's waiting. :/

I'm afraid they may allow the US to go in default rather than raise the debt limit.

They have the Democrats over a barrel and they see an opportunity to destroy a big part of the New Deal and Great Society and that over-rides any economic concerns they might have.

The key to "winning" this is assigning blame. Seriously. I've seen it already this morning on the so-called news shows. Republican after Republican standing before the camera and saying it will all be President Obama's fault. He knows what needs to be done. We just need some leadership. If Obama would just be a leader, we'd all get behind him...except, to be a "leader" in their minds means President Obama just has to accept what the GOP is selling. If Obama would just gut Medicare and dismantle the New Deal, while continuing to fund the endless wars and oil companies which make up the GOP fundraising base, then we'd have a deal...but until he gives us everything we want, we're gonna hold our breath.

It's a serious game of brinkmanship. President Obama has to stand strong. Please, please, Mr. President...just this once...tell them to fuck off.

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Right on.

The President is over at the CIA today congratulating them on the fine job they did in killing Bin Laden. I hope he finds time to make a statement about the Republicans killing the vote to stop the tax subsidies to the oil companies. This is a clear message to everyone about where they stand. They will protect the oil companies at the same time they want to destroy Medicare and Medicaid. Those are priority votes. I hope the President leads on this message.

They've never known how to govern, only how to rule. The authoritarian mindset prohibits them from engaging in any meaningful policy debate. They just want what they want, everything else is a "compromise," which as their leaders have already pointed out, is a dirty word. It's like Veruca Salt is running the country..."I want to get rid of Medicare and I want to get rid of it NOW!"

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Previously to get the nomination you had to hate women, now you have to hate everyone.

is the fact that Rand was a stone cold atheist who hated Christians and Christianity (silly Jesus, wanting to love and take care of other people!). You'd think the evangelical wing of the Republican Party would be all up in arms about that and would repudiate Rand instead of happily embracing the basic principles of libertarianism/objectivism (minimal government, low taxes, gimme MY stuff and to hell with everybody else). This might suggest that they are either confused libertarians or bad Christians.

in the media world of RW politics it is true Paul Ryan is untouchable. But remember a lot of those Teaparty heavy face time Republicans lost last election cycle. Faux news is a who's who of people that lost in primary elections. Remember how hated John McCain was with the people telling you who Republicans liked? I think there is a silent population of Republicans that A) don't watch Faux news, B) Don't listen to RW radio C) don't like the nutty Republicans. They carried John McCain to a primary win in 2008. Most Republican Pundits are terrible at their job. Since liberal pundits tend to ignore interior workings of the Republican party, I don't think we have an accurate view of who Republicans are likely to vote for during the primaries.

The debt ceiling will be raised. If it's not, then I'm wrong and this will probably be the start of the Rapture.

They've given us a wonderful gift... Front row seats to the party tearing apart any Repub who says anything sensible. Now they've even pissed off Grandma. I'm reveling in their implosion.

for the 2012 GOP frontrunner candidate ...

More wealth, more power, more of everything there is to have more of. Including everything owned by everyone else.