Lox Populi

Open thread for those of you who want to liveblog the Nevada caucus results. Rather than go with the usual gambling analogies, I thought I’d go with battle of the religions.

It looks like Mittens has the caucus wrapped up, in no small part due to the significant percentage of Mormons in the state.

But in another corner, there’s going to be a special caucus for Orthodox Jews this evening at a school funded and named for Gingrich patrons/casino owners Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson.

Who knows if Frothy Mix will be able to surge and rally his fellow Roman Catholics to his cause.

And of course, there are significant numbers of hard core libertarians/likely Dr. Evol supporters in the mountains and desert.

My prediction: Mittens, Dr. Evol a surprising (to MSM) second, Gingrich, and Santorum taking up the rump.

Headline HT: Nojo

46 Comments

MSNBC just ran ten minutes of a live Dr. Evol stump speech. From Minnesota. You could just feel the producers saying We’ve run out of shit to talk about until results come in.

@nojo: Two: Donnie & Marie!

Weirdly enough, last night coming home from work I was behind a car with a personalized license frame that said “I <3 Donnie Osmond” – I couldn’t decide if the driver was serious or ironic.

@SanFranLefty: Donny, of course, is only a little bit Rock & Roll.

The question stands, at least until RML drops by with an authoritative list of Mormon Metalheads.

If you were a rookie journalist, would you want “Santorum Embed” on your resumé?

@nojo:

Certainly wouldn’t want it on my carpet. ;)

Sad that, in a republic where there is no religious test for office that there is a religious test for office.

Tweety: “Mitt Romney holds a commanding lead.”

2% in. About 1,000 votes tallied.

Wait. It’s tonight? Polls close at 7 come 11 ?

@Dodgerblue: I told Lefty that results would start 90 minutes ago and Newt’s presser a half-hour ago, so I’m an Unreliable Source on the details.

But it’s a caucus, and some results are now being announced.

Sue Lowden: “It’s important to come in second in our state.”

She should know.

@nojo: Wait, hold the presses. Fuck the caucus. It’s Donny and not Donnie?

ADD: Wait, wait, don’t tell me. Marie is her middle name, Olive is her first name. Who knew? (Besides Nojo, of course).

@SanFranLefty:

1. I double-checked before commenting. Really.

2. News to me about Sis. But I do know Tenille’s Captain’s name.

@nojo: Meanwhile, the NYT is saying that Dr. Evol is winning in the giant swaths of the state that aren’t Clark County and Washoe County. Unclear if random stragglers stuck on the playa from last year’s Burning Man also voted for Paul.

Frothy Mix is in the bottom in all counties.
/yes I am channeling my inner 12 year old.

Santorum is wearing a string tie. I need a drink.

Meanwhile, fewer people are participating in the Nevada caucus than vote in a fucking Ess Eff off-mayoral-election-year, and somehow this means something?

@Dodgerblue: Grab me one while you’re in the kitchen, por favor.

@SanFranLefty: Nevada has five more electoral votes than San Francisco. Hooray Federalism!

@SanFranLefty: I’m staying at a Westin for a State Bar conference and THERE IS NO MINIBAR.

Tweety asks Debbie WS what Dems would offer Repugs as an immigration compromise, like “stronger enforcement”. Debbie WS reels off the Obama deportation stats. Tweety changes the subject.

Nothing new about Tweety. Just that most years I’m able to avoid him.

Frothy Mix: “I’m not a household name like Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich.”

Google it, America!

Frothy Mix, speaking in Greeley, Colorado, mentions he can’t go skiing because there’s no snow on the Western Slope.

Now why might that be?

Colorado Independent:

A record December drought in Colorado’s high country underscored evidence of increasing warming in the Rocky Mountain West – a situation that has led to a widespread mountain pine bark beetle epidemic and mounting susceptibility to massive wildfires. It also took a toll on the state’s ski industry earlier this season.

Caucuses closed, projections open: Mitt by a landslide.

Distant second still unclear: If Newt falls to third, that’s really gonna fuck up his narrative.

Answers.com list of Mormon Rock Stars:

Christian Jacobs and Chad Larson of The Aquabats
David Archuleta
Scot Alexander of Dishwalla
Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker of Low
Arthur “Killer” Kane of The New York Dolls (joined the Church after the band broke up)
Brandon Flowers of The Killers
Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco

The Judges rule against post-Dolls conversions.

As Newt’s presser about to start, MSNBC switches to Lockup. You have ten seconds to come up with a gag.

CNN counterprograms MSNBC with live feed from the Kosher Caucus.

@Dodgerblue: Wait, I thought that you and Nojo were going to go tear up the town tonight in Sandy Eggo? No lobster burritos for you at Dog Beach?

@Benedick: That’s why we pay him the big bucks. Oh, wait.

@nojo: Sadly, I don’t recognize any of those names. So I’m going with Donny and Marie as Mormons Who Rocked.

Hoarse-voiced Newt begins presser. Starts with limbo of lowered caucus expectations.

“The Obama Administration has declared war on religious freedom in this country,” says opponent of Not-Ground Zero Not-Mosque.

Newt loves playing Don Rickles as much as reporters love playing Don Rickles’ audience.

@SanFranLefty: The Killers’ debut album had several big singles. Prommie is a big fan of theirs.

BREAKING: NEWT BACKS GIANTS OVER PATRIOTS.

By the way, we’re still awaiting Clark County (Vegas) results, which are half the state — and which were delayed by the Kosher Caucus.

Meanwhile, in Esmeralda County, with 100% precincts reporting, here are the final results:

Paul: 20
Romney: 19
Gingrich: 13
Santorum: 6

That’s votes, not percentages.

@nojo: Dammit, Beavis! I knew about Killer Kane, but the time shift with you people threw me off.

Still no Clark County results. Remember, every GOP election is on notice this year.

@SanFranLefty: I went out for cheap pizza with some State Bar friends and their families, including 5 kids under 4 years old. I’m exhausted.

@Dodgerblue: I did Weekend Hackwork while following caucus returns.

Wait, was that past tense? I’m still doing Weekend Hackwork while still following caucus returns. Because even though the Kosher Caucus has been announced (Paul beat Romney 3-to-1), the rest of Clark County is still on Vegas Time.

Non-Kosher Caucuses closed four hours ago, and Vegas remains on the dark side of results. What are the odds?

TPM: “The count has been delayed, and reports on the ground say that organizers are hand counting each ballot. With more than half the votes coming from Clark, counting could last all night.”

Well, I’ve got another hour of hackwork in me.

Last call…

Nope. Nada. Nothing. Zilch.

So, pending final results…

Newt comes in third, and following Florida, he remains unable to prove that anybody gives a shit about him outside the Dirty South. But he stays in the race, because otherwise we’d have nothing to do but trash Mitt.

@nojo: With 71% in, Il Nuce slimes his way into 2nd place (and triumphs in Mineral County):

Mittens – 47%
Newtie – 22%
Dr Evol – 18%
Frothy – 11%

I’m sure Mr. Stay Puft will spin this as a stunning triumph.

@Walking Still: And Clark County is still only half-counted. Evol leads Newt by 300 votes there, while he trails by 1,000 statewide. (And Clark County is half the state.)

Newt may still eke out a Silver. But it probably won’t be a commanding Silver.

Clark County expects to finish mid to late afternoon. Note that kickoff is 3:30pm PT.

And with 89% counted…

That’s right. Still not done. But looks like Newt has a lock on #2. So to speak.

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