The day began and will end with heaps of schadenfreude. I opened up the Montreal Gazette this morning to see several stories discussing the intra-Parti Quebecois divisions, with Pauline Marois once again having to face a rebellion, vowing to stay on until the bitter end (which is probably just around the corner and perhaps should not be the ambition of a politician). Gilles Duceppe, who led the separatist party at the national level, the Bloc Quebecois, to a tremendous disaster (and now controversy), is once again looking to take Marois's position. Hard to tell which would be worse for the PQ: continued Marois or a Duceppe-led party that hopes not to finish third in the next election.
So, that was the morning. The evening has Newt Gingrich winning the South Carolina primary. The tweets have been marvelous--that the Republicans have chosen as the family values candidate the one candidate who has the most thorough history of having no values--cheating on at least two wives, being the first leader of his party's contingent in the House to be punished for ethics violations, etc.
Newt is just so easy to hate. He makes it a tough race between himself and Santorum for being the most detestable Not-Romney. It is hard to imagine a more smug, arrogant, and, yes, vile politician.
Yes, I understand that a bad economy might give the GOP the edge in the fall, but Gingrich would be the easiest candidate for Obama to beat--a symbol of all that is wrong with the Republican party. But Gingrich probably will just prolong the race, rather than win, making Romney that much more battle-scarred and compelled to take right-wing stances. Instead of a coronation, this winter promises to be a competition.
Good times, I think. Of course, I could end up eating my words next fall. Good thing electronic posts are low in calories.
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