If Only CNN, MSNBC, and Fox Could Do This

Politician Jon Huntsman on the Colbert Report

Former GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman appeared on the Colbert Report yesterday, and the ex-Utah governor's willingness to address the real substance of what's wrong in American politics was refreshing.

In just a few short minutes, Huntsman manages to tackle the worst corruptors of the American political process (Super Pacs and the absence of term limits), as well as policy issues related to jobs, the national debt, and the economy.

Huntsman also showed his humorous side, quipping about the polygamist ancestor he shares with Mitt Romney and telling us what he really thinks of Romney - but doing so in Mandarin Chinese.

It's sad that (1) Americans don't elect more genuine and thoughtful leaders like Jon Huntsman to national political office and (2) Americans have to rely on Comedy Central to showcase the kind of useful and honest conversation we should be able to see on "real" news channels.

You can watch the clip of Huntsman on Colbert here.
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Will 2012 Be Our Most Boring Election Ever?

GOP voters listening intently.
Photo: Edward Linsmier / Getty

Every four years in American politics one presidential candidate or another is likely to characterize that year’s contest as “the most important election of our lifetime,” and of course that sentiment is, almost always, untrue.

Nonetheless, self-important politicians imagine that the world events and domestic issues with which they must wrangle are the most grievous in history, or at least that's what they'd like voters to believe.

For this November’s general election, the "most important" moniker rings particularly hollow. While the election is shaping up to be a close race, it's not piling up the necessary political tender to catch fire and become an impassioned barnburner. Perhaps it all feels anti-climactic compared to the historic aura that surrounded the 2008 election, or maybe it's simply pre-convention summer doldrums. For whatever reason, this year’s presidential contest is showing early signs that it may be the most boring, not the most important, election of our lifetime.

Maybe it’s the choice of candidates that make this election feel like a potential snoozer.

It’s no secret that Mitt Romney has struggled to unite the Republican Party. With key policy positions that possess Gumby-like flexibility, the Republican establishment and GOP rank-and-file voters have been slow to warm to Romney. Primary turnout has been low, and while the GOP base has finally rallied around its frontrunner, they did so reluctantly, committing to Romney only after test-driving every other candidate in the market.

The caution and control Romney practices in his daily interactions with the public have enabled him to avoid any significant political pitfalls, but they have also added to his robotic demeanor and inhibited his ability to forge meaningful connections with his audience. As for Romney’s bank of engaging ideas, they sound distressingly similar to the strategies of our last Republican administration. “Yay,” cried the GOP, “more of what we used to do.”

Democrats, meanwhile, continue to be periodically inspired by President Obama, but some of his luster has most assuredly worn off.

Turn Of Phrase - Ted Nugent Threatens Obama

Nugent speaking to NRA crowd.

"If Barack Obama becomes the President in November again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year."

"If you don't know that our government is wiping its ass with the constitution, you're living under a rock some place."

- From gun-toting elder-rocker and GOP activist Ted Nugent, during remarks he made while stumping for Mitt Romney at an NRA convention last weekend.

In other insightful commentary from Nugent, he noted that the re-election of Obama would ensure America's place as "a suburb of Indonesia."

Look no further, Mitt. You've found the perfect running mate. By choosing Ted Nugent as your VP, you can reassure the Tea Partiers that small-minded extremist fearmongering is alive and well in the GOP.

Here's the full 3-minute clip of Nugent at the NRA convention if you want to enjoy more cogent political discourse.

Newt Gingrich Can't Quit Because He Thinks Too Much of Himself

Photo: AP/ Jose Luis Magana

Imagine you're running for President of the United States of America.

After almost a full year of campaigning, you've won 2 of the 29 state primary contests, you've spent more cash than you raised, and you've admitted that it is mathematically impossible for you to amass the number of delegates needed to win your party's nomination.

What would you do?

Reasonable human beings would acknowledge that their ideas failed to adequately ignite the passions of voters, and that their campaign lacked the support and structure needed to win. Rational people would graciously step aside, and allow the electoral process to unfold naturally.

Pompous egomaniacal blowhards, however, would apparently take a different tact. They would forge ahead pointlessly, cutting their staff by one-third and reducing their campaign activity, while simultaneously shifting their focus to behind-the-scenes manipulation of the Republican political machine.

Newt Gingrich honestly believes he is one of a handful of politicians who can save America, one of the few who is smart enough, skilled enough, and tough enough to see us through the next four years. He thinks his answers are better than anyone else's, and what's more, he is likely stunned that the rest of us can't see that. Newt cares too darned much about this great nation of ours to let it fail, or so he thinks.

In light of Gingrich's ongoing delusions of grandeur, I think it's time for an intervention. I think it's time for Newt to take someone else's advice, for a change. The time has come for Newt to get a heavy dose of the truth, whether he likes it or not.

The reality is the former House Speaker is delusional and sad. He is an arrogant and egomaniacal man, who in the face of a fair and honest beatdown at the hands of Mitt Romney, is holding out hope against all odds that he can steal the Presidency of the United States. And when his efforts to cheat his way into the White House are unsuccessful, he will secretly wish us all a fast trip to Hell in a handbasket, and pity us for our ignorance in not recognizing him as our own best chance at survival. So be it.

Give it up, Newt. Your time has come and gone long ago, and no one wants to play with you. Pack up your toys and your bloated bag of big ideas, and just go home.