Texas Blue Mailbag, Week Of January 14

We cover a number of Republican fumbles in this week's Mailbag.

Several people ask:

Josh, We did you leave Candidate X out of this post? Why don't you talk about Candidate Y more often?

Josh says:

We try to not play favorites and we try to not pick sides. We do our best to include everyone. As we aggregate news to pass along a la roundups or create original work, we aren't likely to get to every candidate all the time. The races are legion, as usual, so won't get to each race every time, either.

That being said, it is also worth noting that not every race or candidate will be newsworthy all the time, every day. We'll get to them, we promise, or at least we'll do our best to. You can help us by sending us tips or comments whenever you see fit.

Barbara says:

not voting for any democrat!! go ron paul go!!!!!!!!!!!!!

George says:

Sorry, I think you're on the wrong site. We're the sort of progressives that think that UNICEF or the EPA should not be shut down, don't dig the idea of overturning Roe v. Wade, think that without some degree of involvement in international affairs people may still be dying in Bosnia, and possibly most importantly, think that the idea of paying zero in taxes was tried in the Articles of Confederation and didn't work out so well.

Oh — almost forgot: and we don't like people who endorse newsletters with made-up statistics to excuse bigotry.

Maybe you wanted this site instead?

I<3NY asks:

Out of the current republican candidates, which of them looks the most innocuous to dems, why, and how likely is it that he will get the nomination?

Josh says:

That is an interesting and different question than I usually get about the election. Who is least dangerous? Right now it looks like Giuliani, just because he's failing at everything. He can't even get the 9/11 thing right anymore.

I think McCain and Romney are both smart, capable candidates, and in some cases it seems liek Romney might be more likely to get the nomination than McCain. But those models assume a great deal about closed primaries and the loyalty of GOP voters vs. independents, and I don't think you can count on either.

I think Huckabee is saying quite a few things that make him seem silly and unelectable in the general, but I probably would have said the same thing about Aw Shucks George back in early 2000. Huckabee is dangerous, even though he is likely doomed to not get the nomination, making it a moot point.

So probably Giuliani, for the pure haplessness factor, and it looks like he has next to no chance to get the nomination. But then again, this is the year of uncertainty and Lazarus / Muskie Redux moments. We'll see.

Andrew asks:

How do you get un-indicted?

George says:

From the sound of it, it would seem that the trick is to be prosecuted by a lame-duck DA that just became a political leper because of messing around with his secretary, and convince him that seeing as he's already a sinking ship, he has nothing left to lose — might as well let some political allies off the hook in those last few months; it's not like you have to be concerned about the career you have left ahead of you. Besides, making the right friends now can get you a cushy private sector job once you're disgracefully removed from your position! It's a win-win.

Of course, that doesn't do much about getting re-indicted...