Randi Rhodes: Hell Hath No Fury

Wow, things are already getting very ugly, and we’re just getting started in South Carolina—which is the environment where ugly thrives. South Carolina is known for its whisper campaigns, where terrible things are said in hushed tones. Well, this time, all those terrible things are going to be said over the airwaves in millions of dollars of purchased airtime. South Carolina is where they spread the vicious lie that John McCain had an illegitimate black baby. They’re going to be saying even meaner things about Mitt Romney. And the worst part is that the things they’re going to say about Romney are all true. This year they’re going to be saying that Mitt Romney has an illegitimate, black heart.

Defending his attacks, Newt Gingrich said he was concerned about the rules of capitalism: “Are they fair to the American people, or are the deals being cut on behalf of Wall Street institutions and very rich people?” Wow. Is Newt angling to become the Republican nominee, or the next head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?

The reason for all of this comes down to the fact that Mitt really went after Newt Gingrich in Iowa, and it made Newt crazy. Really, Mitt, why go after Newt as viciously as you did? Did you have any doubt that Newt Gingrich would quickly implode on his own? Think about it—Newt Gingrich is dangerous, erratic, and unpredictable. Mitt Romney unnecessarily provoked him, and now Mitt has a lunatic attacking him. Do you really want Mitt Romney to be dealing with North Korea? Republican bigwigs say they want to try and talk Newt “off the ledge.” The problem is that Newt isn’t on the ledge. Mitt Romney is on the ledge, and Newt is standing behind him.

Mitt Romney’s talking point has been that all the attacks on how he made his money are being driven by “envy.” Of course, Envy is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Mitt Romney really shouldn’t be bringing up one of them—some of the other Seven Deadly Sins are Greed, Pride, and Vanity. And those are three terms that definitely appear in all opposition research about Mitt Romney. Mitt said “I think it’s about envy.” Essentially, that’s the 8th-grade response to every argument—“Well, you’re just jealous!”

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Conservative messaging guru Frank Luntz is warning Republicans not to defend 'capitalism' by name because it only has 18% support...

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