Trump #2 In GOP Poll; Gary Busey As Potential Running Mate?

I'm drinking coffee, listening to Donald Trump on MSNBC. Once again The Combover is calling in to another enabling TV morning show to tell everybody how smart he is, even though he's a birther (not to mention a self-promoting, self-aggrandizing, self-absorbed asshole.) But--hey!--he's Number Two!

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appears to be the early front-runner in the largely unformed race for the Republican nomination for president, but real estate magnate Donald Trump may be a surprise contender, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

Among Republican primary voters, Mr. Romney captured the support of 21% in a broad, nine-candidate field. Mr. Trump was tied for second with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, with 17%. House Speaker Newt Gingrich got 11%, just ahead of former Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s 10%. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, considered a strong contender by political handicappers, remains largely unknown, with just 6% support. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota had 5%, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum 3%, and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour with just 1%.

Mr. Trump “may be a punch line but when he talks about the way to solve our problems, he makes a lot of sense to the average guy out there,” said Todd Mauney, a conservative Republican in Weatherford, Texas. “I don’t know if people can get over him being the butt of every joke but for me, he can be serious when it’s time to make real decisions.“

When I think of Donald Trump, I, too, think of number two--if you know what I mean...

Here's video:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

UPDATE: And now there's this from CNN:

Self-proclaimed birther Donald Trump is now so doubtful of President Obama's birthplace that he's sent a team of his own investigators to Hawaii in hopes of getting to the bottom of the issue.

That's according to Trump himself, who, in an interview with NBC, warned his investigators just might uncover "one of the greatest cons in the history of politics and beyond."

"I have people that have been studying it and they cannot believe what they're finding," Trump said an interview that aired Thursday Morning.

Asked if he has assigned people specifically to search in Hawaii, Trump said, "Absolutely."

Trump/Busey 2012!

UPDATE #2: WaPo's Jonathan Capehart has a solid rebuttal to Trump's horseshit--with audio and archived article links--here. Great piece. H/T to Lawrence O'Donnell's 'The Last Word' for the heads-up.

Tweet

Lou Dobbs: An Angry White Man Fantasizes About The White House.

This post title's inspiration, straight from the horse's ass:

SNL's Palin 2012: It's The End Of The World As We Know It.

Guess Who's Not Coming To Dinner?

Bad singers on American Idol become famous overnight, much like Alaska's divisive diva Sarah Palin. Right-wing Republicans fell instantly and evangelically in love with the tundra's unknown commodity just a little over seven months ago, but will Palin remain a chart-topper or will her sour notes and false sense of rhythm cause her to disappear in the blink of an eye--of Newt?   

From the AP:

     Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is out, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is in as keynote speaker at a Republican dinner this spring.

     Palin, the party's 2008 nominee for vice president, had been slated to address the annual Senate-House Dinner in Washington on June 8. The dinner, sponsored by the House and Senate Republican campaign committees, is one of the GOP's biggest fundraisers.

     Palin will be replaced by Gingrich. Both are popular figures with the party's base.

     A spokesman for the Senate GOP committee, Brian Walsh, said Palin's team informed the campaign committees that her responsibilities in Alaska prevented her from committing to the speech until the end of the legislative session.

     "We completely understand and respect Governor Palin's focus on her official state business; however, there is obviously an enormous amount of planning that goes into this annual event. For that reason, we invited and are honored to have former Speaker Newt Gingrich join us as our speaker," Walsh said in an e-mail.

     A spokeswoman for Palin denied that she had ever confirmed her role as a speaker, even though the NRSC and the NRCC issued a joint press release two weeks ago trumpeting her appearance.

     "Enthusiasm during a scheduling meeting among SarahPAC members to discuss events that we thought the governor should consider attending was misinterpreted as a confirmation of attendance," Palin spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton said in an e-mail.

     A GOP official trashed Palin to Fox News and insisted that her camp wasn't telling the truth. "She was a disaster," the source said. "We had confirmation."

     Palin...is widely believed to be eyeing a presidential bid in 2012. The leadership committee is intended to help serve as a vehicle for Palin's political activities.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the real reason for Palin's inability to commit to the June affair is that it coincides with the final exam in her "What Is A Continent?" online correspondence course. 

Wasilla Will Always Need A Dogcatcher.

Palin would win in an avalanche, and she'd be the "go-to gal" for Iditarod dogs.


From PoliticalWire.com:

A new Public Policy Polling survey shows President Obama would crush Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in a hypothetical 2012 presidential contest, 55% to 35%.

Yes, it's probably way too early to run these types of polls, but insofar as Palin is concerned, there are some interesting findings. "The key reason Palin would lose to Obama by so much is that even though she might be the top choice for a certain segment of voters within her party, there's also a number of Republicans who say they would vote for Obama if their party nominated Palin."

More: "Palin is viewed negatively by 50% of voters in the country with just 39% holding a positive opinion of her. 69% of Republicans have a favorable view of her, while only 11% of Democrats do."

In an unscientific poll conducted by JackRabbit Café, former TV character Xena the Warrior Princess also bests the Alaskan Disaster, albeit by a much smaller margin.