As
we noted yesterday, the Republican "mainstream" - wired political handicappers are eager to let you know that the winner in yesterday's Iowa's Rethug caucus was (drum roll).....
Ted Cruz Marco "Glug Glug" Rubio! The establishment favorite could have finished behind Jim (Who?) Gilmore and the headline would have been the same:
he's the real winner, he had a "
big night", and a "
strong finish." Young Marco even spun his "concession" speech
into a victory speech, taking any uptick in his numbers as a "victory" at this point. Nevertheless, he ended up
in third place with 23% of the caucus goers, very close to second-place finisher and neo-fascist narcissist
Donald "Rump" Trump. However, when you add
"Tailgunner Ted" Cruz's votes and Rump's votes together, you get
52%. If you want to add in the votes of loony fourth-place finisher
Ben "On Meds?" Carson as a protest vote
against the Rethug "establishment," that number goes up to
61%. The furious, irrational base of the Rethuglican / New Confederate / Stupid / Shooter's Party won't be easy to placate if the "establishment" is seen overriding them again. (A bonus from the Rump loss is the failure of snowbilly grifter
Sarah "Winky" Palin's
endorsement to carry much weight with the knuckle draggers she normally has sway over.)
Young Marco is this season's John Ellis "J.E.B.!" Bush, the savior for the war hawk / country club / corporate tax-cutting wing of his party. It's likely that as the other "establishment" also-rans drop out, Young Marco will consolidate his position as champion of that wing, with the continued assistance of our broken political media that insists on having a hand in the outcome.
BONUS: Here's Charles Pierce on the emergent "
Rubio won by coming in third!"narrative.
BONUS II:
And Laura Clawson.
BONUS III: And Paul Waldman on young Rubio's ludicrous spin:
