Farewell. The Flying Pig Has Left The Building.

Steve Hynd, August 16, 2012

After four years on the Typepad site, eight years total blogging, Newshoggers is closing it's doors today. We've been coasting the last year or so, with many of us moving on to bigger projects (Hey, Eric!) or simply running out of blogging enthusiasm, and it's time to give the old flying pig a rest.

We've done okay over those eight years, although never being quite PC enough to gain wider acceptance from the partisan "party right or wrong" crowds. We like to think we moved political conversations a little, on the ever-present wish to rush to war with Iran, on the need for a real Left that isn't licking corporatist Dem boots every cycle, on America's foreign misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq. We like to think we made a small difference while writing under that flying pig banner. We did pretty good for a bunch with no ties to big-party apparatuses or think tanks.

Those eight years of blogging will still exist. Because we're ending this typepad account, we've been archiving the typepad blog here. And the original blogger archive is still here. There will still be new content from the old 'hoggers crew too. Ron writes for The Moderate Voice, I post at The Agonist and Eric Martin's lucid foreign policy thoughts can be read at Democracy Arsenal.

I'd like to thank all our regular commenters, readers and the other bloggers who regularly linked to our posts over the years to agree or disagree. You all made writing for 'hoggers an amazingly fun and stimulating experience.

Thank you very much.

Note: This is an archive copy of Newshoggers. Most of the pictures are gone but the words are all here. There may be some occasional new content, John may do some posts and Ron will cross post some of his contributions to The Moderate Voice so check back.


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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

In Search Of A Sacrificial Lamb

Commentary By Ron Beasley


MarxBrothers Donald Trump's ego trip is finished, Mike Huckabee has wisely decided that he's better off with millions from Rupert Murdoch and as only Newt Gingrich could do his presidential campaign imploded in record time. The race for the Republican nomination looks like a Marx's Brothers movie.


I suspect the beltway Republican power brokers now realize it is unlikely they can defeat Obama in 2012 - yes, they too have looked at the likely candidates and indeed have an amazing grasp of the obvious.  Their real problem is they have a chance to take back the Senate but only if the party does not nominate a lunatic that will negatively impact the down ticket races.    Now the real problem for the Republicans is they have spent a few decades building a base that likes lunatics.  So they have to find a candidate that will appeal to the 27 percenters of their base but won't offend the other 73 percent of the voters, many of which might not vote Republican at all if a lunatic is nominated for president.  Enter Mitch Daniels - the equivalent of Bob Dole.  He can't win but he really won't offend too many people - a sacrificial lamb.


Update:


Politico sees Daniels as a savior rather than a sacrificial lamb but say about the same thing.



Top Republicans are increasingly convinced that President Barack Obama will be easily reelected if stronger GOP contenders do not emerge, and some are virtually begging Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels to add some excitement to the slow-starting nomination race.


It�s a sign of the GOP�s straits that the party is depending on the bland, wonkish Daniels for an adrenaline boost.







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