The KoPoint Political Explainer - Silly Season With Creepy Sleepy Edition

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The KoPoint Political Explainer returns as Creepy Sleepy to discuss ‘Silly Season,’ the summer before the political conventions. Our legendary duo Doc and Dan are joined in conversation with journalist and former CIA officer Jack Rice to revive the Institution of Creepy Sleepy, and hybridize it with the KoPoint Political Explainer to produce yet another incarnation of the long loved and long missed classic series. The trio discuss the nomination of Mitt Romney and the impact of the economy on the election.

KoPoint: Current GOP Primary Delegate Count

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In the race for 1144 to secure the Republican nomination all four GOP candidates still have plenty to go to be home free. Mitt Romney currently leads the pack with roughly 432 secured and/or estimated (due to non-binding caucus events), Rick Santorum in second with nearly 182 secured and/or…

KoPoint: Super Tuesday by The Numbers (Poll)

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Want to know what the playing field looks like before Super Tuesday kicks off tomorrow? Check out the work that the Washington Post has put together here.

Looking over recent polls it looks like things will be rather interesting as Rick Santorum is positioned to potentially glide to victory…

Politico: Megadeth frontman backs Rick Santorum

Amazing.

kopoint:

Dave Mustaine, leader of the heavy metal band Megadeth, is ready to rock out for Rick Santorum.

“Earlier in the election, I was completely oblivious as to who Rick Santorum was, but when the dude went home to be with his daughter when she was sick, that was very commendable,” Mustaine recently told MusicRadar.com.  “…You know, I think Santorum has some presidential qualities, and I’m hoping that if it does come down to it, we’ll see a Republican in the White House… and that it’s Rick Santorum.”

Weighing in on the rest of the field, Mustaine called Newt Gingrich an “angry little man” and said Ron Paul will “make total sense for a while, and then he’ll say something so way out that it negates everything else.”

Keep Reading On Politico -»

Slate: How Do You Rig a Straw Poll?

kopoint:

Answer: buy all of the seats in the house. Great election character analysis from @Slate:

Straw polls, by definition, are nonbinding, so they have fewer rules than do real elections. And unlike opinion polls conducted by national organizations such as Gallup and Pew Research, a straw poll isn’t supposed to be a random sample of the population. Instead, those polled at events such as CPAC and the Ames Straw Poll are simply the people who happen to show up. That means the candidate who turns out the largest number of backers will win. One easy way to get out the straw vote is to buy up a bunch of tickets, then hand them out for free to your supporters. Paying for their transportation to the event can’t hurt. And wining and dining them once they’re there is always a nice touch. Since the CPAC straw poll typically involves about 3,500 people, you might only need to pay for a few hundred voters to tilt the poll in your favor.

Mitt Romney's Attack Dog

Read this. Seriously.

kopoint:

The creator of the Willie Horton ad is going all out for Mitt Romney.

Romney, unlike the remaining Republican candidates, has served no time in Washington. Yet he’s relying on a media offensive managed by operatives who have long been at the heart of Washington’s Republican attack machine. One of the leaders of this advertising war is Larry McCarthy, a veteran media consultant best known for creating the racially charged “Willie Horton ad,” which, in 1988, helped sink Michael Dukakis, the Democratic nominee for President.

Learn More About Larry McCarthy From The New Yorker -»