Thursday roundup

Thursday seems to have become my day for thoughts that are slightly longer than a tweet but not long enough to be a full post.

It was a long and frustrating Tuesday of clearing out the in box with assorted pleas for pennies on the last day of the fundraising quarter. It all started in 2003:

12 years ago tonight: the @GovHowardDean Bat #Yeeeeah pic.twitter.com/28inVcFonv

— John Deeth (@johndeeth) July 1, 2015

Several of those pitches were from Monica Vernon. Ravi Patel appears to have gotten the message that the deal is done, but Pat Murphy - remember him? - has not and is floating trial balloons in the 1st CD. Sources close to Sen. Palpatine (Jedi Sith-Naboo) are reported as saying, "Do not want."


We may need to write Pat another memo.

The Screw Iowa nomination strategy had been tried by President Al Gore (1988), President John McCain (2000), and President Joe Lieberman (2004). This year, the official Screw Iowa candidate may be... President Chris Christie.

Actually, it may help to think of the 16 GOP candidates as a Midwest Regional bracket and a Northeast Regional Bracket:

• Iowa bracket: Scott Walker, Ben Carson and Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal
• New Hampshire bracket: Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, John Kasich, George Pataki, maybe Lindsey Graham
• Crossovers: Rand Paul, Marco Rubio

And Quinnipiac has the latest Iowa seeds:

Walker has 18 percent of likely GOP caucus participants, compared to 25 percent in a February 25 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University and 21 percent in a May 6 survey.

Jostling for second place are Donald Trump and Ben Carson, at 10 percent each, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at 9 percent each, former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida at 8 percent and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida at 7 percent. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has 5 percent. No other candidate is above 4 percent and 5 percent are undecided. 

Pataki is in the 16-seed play-in game against Vermin Supreme.

Trump I kinda sorta get because of the celebrity factor. But can someone please explain to me what exactly the deal is with Ben Carson polling high and bringing in bucks like he's an actual real candidate? Because I absolutely do not get it.

Carly Fiorina seems to be the O'Malley of the GOP field: everybody seems to like her, or at least the idea of her, but she's not anybody's actual first choice.

The snickering reaction Wednesday to various Hillary Clinton emails released Tuesday helps explain 1) why she wanted to keep them private & 2) why she hates the press.

Also Tuesday the Des Moines Register announced a "New Gannett focus on community." Wednesday:

Our Datebook Diner says Draught House 50 is bar food done well: http://t.co/BGlbOST1VB pic.twitter.com/Oar9ozLKn1

— Des Moines Register (@DMRegister) July 1, 2015

Apparently this "Gannett focus on community" is more restaurant reviews and less hiring actual reporters at the Press-Citizen.

And dear everyone: No one is trying to make your church gay marry people. Your county clerk or recorder, however, is another matter.