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Ted Cruz

7 (6.5%)

Rick Santorum

16 (14.8%)

Michelle Bachmann

13 (12%)

Chris Christie

23 (21.3%)

Rand Paul

49 (45.4%)

Total Members Voted: 107

[FearfulJesuit]

I'm not gonna lie: I actually kind of like Rand Paul. Like his father, he knows what he believes and sticks to his guns, and in this day and age I think that commands respect from you no matter where you are on the political spectrum. I wouldn't want him in the White House, sure, but as a gadfly to get the Democrats to get serious about civil liberties again, I will give him my support.

Upon reading Silver: yeah, probable witch. That does explain the GOP much better...

I'd gotten the sense after the fiscal cliff was avoided and the sequester went through that the GOP had come to more of an internal consensus. You'd posit that, in fact, things are just heating up?

[Reelya]

I'd gotten the sense after the fiscal cliff was avoided and the sequester went through that the GOP had come to more of an internal consensus. You'd posit that, in fact, things are just heating up?

The internal GOP battleground will be over social policy, not so much economics. Self-labelled Conservatives make up about 75% of the GOP base, with 20+% moderates and a very few self-labelled liberals. The Conservative bloc wants to purge leftists out of the party - but this actually means the Moderates. And they label themselves as "average Americans". But Conservatives only make up about 40% of the total national population, so with just that voter base you can't really get elected. So, the Moderate elements which remain in the party want to broaden appeal beyond Conservative Values^TM, to help get elected. This is a big no-no for the Conservative wing, who through their rhetoric actually believe that by becoming more hardline Right Wing Conservative, they will pick up votes from some alienated "average Americans".

Whereas the Democrats have about 40% Moderates, 40% Liberals and 20% Conservatives in their voter base, so they're not so tied to dogmatically serving a mono-culture of opinion as the GOP are.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

That said, we might eventually see some conflict between the rational and irrational fiscal conservatives (i.e., the difference between those who want to kill PBS and food stamps to look tough and those who want to cut the actual sources of overspending).

[scriver]

So I just saw one of this week's Daily Show. Apparently some Virginian dude is outlawing any non-vaginal sex? What the?

[RedKing]

So I just saw one of this week's Daily Show. Apparently some Virginian dude is outlawing any non-vaginal sex? What the?

Dude, in some states it used to be illegal for any position other than missionary.

Thousands of well-meaning cowgirls were made into outlaws...

Sodomy is still illegal in some states.

[palsch]

Sodomy is still illegal in some states.

Not really since Lawrence, although there are still states with it on the books.

In this case it's Ken Cuccinelli trying to defend Virginia's supposedly defunct sodomy law to the fourth circuit.

[Descan]

States ruled sodomy laws (which non-vaginal sex IS, per definition) non-constitutional back in '03 (of this century).

edit: As an 8th century pirate, fuckyouninjas.

[FearfulJesuit]

Sodomy is still illegal in some states.

Not really since Lawrence, although there are still states with it on the books.

In this case it's Ken Cuccinelli trying to defend Virginia's supposedly defunct sodomy law to the fourth circuit.

He's popped up earlier for some other sort of batshittery, although I can't recall what. Apparently he's on the long list for the GOP's rising stars, though, so we may be seeing more of him in future.

[werty892]

BREAKING NEWS!

[Glowcat]

All it proves is that education is Devil Obama's tool to control America. People closer to Jesus made the righter choice!

[Frumple]

... all it proves is that breaking news is apparently half a decade old

[FearfulJesuit]

... all it proves is that breaking news is apparently half a decade old

...I'm feeling old.

It's 2013.

IT'S 2013.

[Frumple]

A. You're not old.
B. Shut up. You're not old.
C. ಠ_ಠ
D: You get to say you feel old when your prostate's bigger than your brain.
E. : intentional for D.

[palsch]

He's popped up earlier for some other sort of batshittery, although I can't recall what.

Cuccinelli? Where to start...

He was one of the point men in trying to get the healthcare bill overturned in federal courts.
He effectively ordered a 'papers please' immigration policy through a legal opinion, bypassing the state assembly.
He issued an opinion banning non-discrimination policies that included sexuality or gender expression from state institutions, including universities.
He has tried to sue both over the EPA regulating air standards and the Clean Air Act.
He has repeatedly sued for all correspondence that Michael Mann - the high profile climate scientist - has ever had with effectively anyone in Virginia, despite his reasoning being rejected multiple times by judges and Mann being cleared of any wrongdoing by multiple hearings.

This is only since he became Virginia's Attorney General in 2009. He even, at one point, flirted with birtherism.

Oh, and he's running for governor.

[scriver]

What sort of power/purpose does an American "attorney general" have, exactly?