Former CNN Nobody Bob Franken: Tim Pawlenty's Scary, Plotting "Oligarchy"
Plus: A Recap of Primary News You Read on Hot Air 20 Hours Ago

You know, I don't want to push T-Paw too much. It gets annoying. I get that. So I was perfectly willing to just take a pass on his not one but two higher-profile endorsements.

I wasn't going to publish that. They are what they are. Endorsements don't really change minds anyway.

But, when he gets a third endorsement, one that matters, one that could actually help him, then it's reached my "okay, gotta post it" level.

Bob Franken, who doesn't even rate a VH-1 Behind the News profile, finds Tim Pawlenty too damn extreme and scary for his liking.

BOB FRANKEN: Well, he's serious in that he's pandering to the segment of the Republican party, the very wealthy, by basically letting them off the hook for any responsibility. They're interested in buying back a government. And so he is out there trying to see to it that he is the one where they shower all their wealth on, so he can turn around then and lead the government and be the person who heads their oligarchy.

The simple fact of the matter is that this is nothing new. There's an old discredited theory you called voo-doo economics. It was called the Laffer Curve, Laffer Curve, it was a laugher from the beginning. A rising tide lifts all boats. You know: there's a trickle down theory. Of course they don't say what trickles down on people. [Belly laughs from Cenk.] The point is that this is something that Republicans love to talk about and they drive us deeper and deeper into debt when they do.

The "Cenk" who erupted in deep belly laughs is of course Cenk Uygayuar or whatever his name is, the guy who, in spinning for Weiner, proclaimed he himself is such a massive playa he's compelled to lie all the time to his myriad girlfriends, many of whom hail from Niagra Falls and neighboring locales, and whose presence on MSNBC, along with Ed Shultz', strongly suggests to me that MSNBC is filling its lineup based on applicants' capacity to sweat while sedentary.

By the way, Cenk -- was that a real laugh? You honestly never heard that joke before? That one really just snuck up on you and caught you off guard?

I've got a good one for you: The last time I laughed that hard, I fell off my dinosaur.

Zing!, baby, Zing!

Don't get pissed at me. I really, truly was going to blow off the endorsements.

Presidential Rundown QuickFire News:

Gingrich's people have resigned en masse, including his top NH aide.

"Generic Republican" continues to fare well against Obama.

Bill Kristol has two sources saying Giuliani's in.

Romney, look, I want to like Romney. Obviously he's a type of Generic Republican and he seems like good cat. But he won't let me.

The early GOP presidential front-runner has broken with his party’s conservative ranks to declare global warming a real threat to the planet that merits some sort of action to curb heat-trapping emissions.

But the former Massachusetts governor is also quick to trash cap and trade, carbon taxes and other controversial policies that have been kicked around over the last decade in Washington.

Ed notes that this stance -- "I'll claim it exists, and then do nothing about it" -- was essentially Bush's position, and it's a not-awful position. Because, in the end, it's not what you believe (or claim to believe), but what you do.

And if he's laying down the promise he'll talk this nonsense to death, fine, whatever, I can give him a pass. I get that. It's not awful.

It's just... at some point we have to stop having to give him passes. Fine on this one. I guess we could kind of overlook RomneyCare. But... no more passes, huh, Big Guy?

And Rick Perry is still thinking about running.

Oh: Since I posted, Allah posted on the Gingrich matter.

Breaking so hard that I don’t even have a link for you yet, but Carl Cameron is reporting on Fox News as I write this that the entire senior circle — everyone, basically — is jumping ship based on “a difference of opinion” with Gingrich on the direction of the campaign.

Allah has something more interesting than that, though: The speculation that Gingrich's people are quitting because they now know, through a Perry ally formerly working for Gingrich, that Perry will soon be in, and has a lot better chance of doing something besides bellyflop.

Plus: A Recap of Primary News You Read on Hot Air 20 Hours Ago&bodytext=You know, I don't want to push T-Paw too much. It gets annoying. I get that. So I was perfectly willing to just take a pass on his not one but two higher-profile endorsements. I wasn't going to publish that....&topic=world_news"> posted by Ace at 03:11 PM

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