The oddest part of McIntyre’s little religious rant was when he sermonized, “We know that the true source of power cannot be found here in the Halls of Congress or in the Oval Office in the West Wing or in the chambers of the Supreme Court, but only on our knees before the one who is the true source of power!”

Does Congressman McIntyre really believe that? I don’t think so, because he’s spent his whole career pursuing power through corporate money, and through the power of government, not through prayer. If Mike McIntyre truly believed that true power is found in prayer, rather than in Congress, he’d be back home praying, not working like hell year after year to stay in Congress.

Mike McIntyre doesn’t care enough about prayer to center his own life around the practice, so what right does he have to lecture to the rest of us about how we’re not praying enough? Like most other conspicuously religious politicians, Representative McIntyre is just using prayer as a theatrical prop, to try to gain votes for himself.

Praying loudly in the public square is not what the Jesus suggested. I wish there were someone around to remind Mike McIntyre about that… someone like… gosh, I don’t know who…

One problem was revealed this week when, 7 days after a record-breaking 90 degree temperature in my town, we received a wet, heavy snow. It piled up on everything, including the leaves and flowers that had emerged early on a lilac bush near our house.

The lilac was ripped apart.

I don’t know when they came out with it, but Robot Chicken has a response:

But the next time Americans Elect produces a viral video criticizing the “Sh*t Politicians Say,” it might want to check its own website for the same words.

And how about this idea: it’s not what politicians say that’s really the problem. It’s what they do.

Seriousness descending into silliness.

Setting: Exeter, New Hampshire, January 9 2012. The night before the NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY.

Cast of Characters:

LADY LYNN FORESTER DE ROTHSCHILD: Aristocratic nobility. Married to billionaire. Corporate executive. AMERICANS ELECT Leadership.

JON HUNTSMAN: Second-generation rich. Resident of third base. Presidential candidate. Funded by billionaire dad. Supported by ROTHSCHILD.

AMERICANS ELECT: 501c4 corporation. Secret donors. Maintains policy of official neutrality on presidential candidates for its leadership.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN: FOX News host, “good friend” of ROTHSCHILD

ISAAC: Goat.

[Cue Cameras]

ACT I: Lady de Rothschild, Americans Elect and No Labels

ACT II: Lady de Rothschild promotes various presidential contenders

ACT III: Lady de Rothschild violates Americans Elect Rules with Big Money Party

This year, he is promoting a mandatory tooth brushing law, in spite of civil liberties concerns about the “dental police” and the shadowy “preventive dental maintenance detention centers”. He has denied rumors of plans to use DNA splicing to create a species of winged monkeys to act as tooth fairies.

Unlike other presidential candidates, he does not mind admitting his ambition to become a leader with totalitarian powers like those of Big Brother. He explains, “I am a friendly fascist. I am a tyrant you should trust. You should let me run your life, because I do know what is best for you.”

There is some new controversy in his presidential campaign, though. He has been accused of flip flopping to a pro-zombie position. “Zombies are not just to run away from any more,” he says. In order to solve the energy crisis, he proposes hooking up zombies to giant turbines, so that as they stumble and shuffle, they can generate electrical power for American cities.

Also on his presidential platform is the unique idea of full federal funding for time travel research. Upon the completion of his time travel research program, he pledges to go back in time and kill the infant Adolph Hitler with his bare hands.

His name is Vermin Supreme, and he is running as a Democratic candidate for President, with a place on the ballot in today’s New Hampshire primary, in competition against Barack Obama. We’ll keep close track of the number of votes he gets tonight.

Americans Elect news release, December 22 2011:

Americans Elect takes no position on any candidate or issue. We simply provide a process, and candidates, delegate-led draft efforts and voters provide the rest.

Americans Elect bylaws, passed December 19 2011:

Section 4.12. Neutrality of Directors. Board members shall not communicate or act in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for President or Vice President at any time before the adjournment of the online nominating convention of Americans Elect. The Board shall appropriately enforce the provisions of this section as well as Section 6.1 regarding neutrality of officers of Americans Elect.

…

Section 6.1. Officers and Neutrality. The Board of Directors shall elect or appoint the officers of Americans Elect from persons qualified to be Delegates. The officers shall include a Chairman, who may also be known as President who shall be the person who serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors; a Vice Chairman, who may also be known as Vice President; a Secretary; and a Treasurer; and such other officers, including vice presidents and assistant officers, as may be deemed necessary. The officers of Americans Elect may be designated by such other titles as may be provided in the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws to conform to requirements of any state. Any two or more offices may be held by the same person, except the offices of President and Secretary. Officers shall not communicate or act in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for President or Vice President at any time before the adjournment of the online nominating convention of Americans Elect.

That’s Americans Elect’s policy: no stance, no communication on behalf of or against, no action on behalf of or against. But Americans Elect can’t help itself, repeatedly promoting Republican candidates. And oops, it did it again.

Shortly after Buddy Roemer made an appearance at an Americans Elect event in early November, Americans Elect declared Buddy Roemer to be its top “National Match,” the one politician in all of America whose ideas best fit with what the American people want. By the end of November 2011, Buddy Roemer had made an official announcement that he would seek the Americans Elect nomination. You can read that official announcement here on Buddy Roemer’s campaign website: “Today I officially announce that I will seek the Americans Elect nomination as a proud Republican but as an even prouder American…”.

One of the officers of Americans Elect, former Communications Manager and current National Campus Director Nick Troiano, just happened to show up this weekend at a press conference called by Buddy Roemer to announce that he still wants to run for President. Even though that press conference was in New Hampshire. And Nick Troiano lives in the DC Beltway. What a coincidence.

Dave Weigel of Slate calls it as he sees it: “a stunt.” At that press conference, Buddy Roemer just happened to call on Nick Troiano, right off the bat, even though Troiano was still sitting down. Troiano just happened to be trailed by an Americans Elect camera.

Buddy Roemer … so I’ll answer any and all questions. Yes?

Americans Elect National Campus Director Nick Troiano: Governor Roemer, my name is Nick Troiano. I’m from Americans Elect.

Roemer: Yes.

Troiano: What do you think of the current process by which we choose our president, and will you seek the Americans Elect nomination for president?

Roemer: It is an option. I like Americans Elect’s approach. A unity ticket. A ticket that puts the country first, not the party. I’m a proud Republican, and I will remain a Republican, and I am in this process as a Republican. But if I continue to get ignored and excluded from the party debates, then I will explore my options. I’m not ready to say yes, but I’m not ready to say no.

And then Nick Troiano just happened to manage to convince Buddy Roemer to speak with him one-on-one after the press conference:

Buddy Roemer: It might be the only way. I really like Americans Elect a lot. You know, I remain a Republican. I struggled to be a Republican twenty years ago, and my party is guilty like the Democrats of getting addicted to the money. And it might be the only way to break it is, stay a Republican but join with a Democrat, an Independent, a woman or a man, and put a unity ticket together and make the first order of business campaign reform and then work on jobs, trade and all the rest.

Americans Elect National Campus Director Nick Troiano: What about the idea of having an online convention where every registered voter gets to have a voice?

Buddy Roemer: You know, two years ago I would have been skeptical. But being in this campaign with limited money and no publicity, we survive on social media. Internet makes this possible! I mean, when you get $10,000 a day at $50 a contribution from 40 states in a single day, wow! We can pull this country together. Not just me, but a unity ticket, either me or somebody better than me. Doing this? I think it would be very powerful.

Troiano: Great. Thank you very much.

Roemer: Thank you.

Americans Elect, promoting Buddy Roemer. Buddy Roemer, promoting Americans Elect. Both pretending to have an initial conversation when Roemer made his first joint appearance with Americans Elect two months ago, and when Roemer formally announced he’d run for nomination with Americans Elect a month and a half ago.

As Dave Weigel noted, that’s a stunt. It’s staged. It’s violating Americans Elect’s own bylaws. It’s indicating favoritism by a corporation that wants to run its own presidential nominating election — and count the votes. Does Americans Elect think Americans won’t notice, or does it just not care?

This warm primary day for New Hampshire won’t be just a single oddity in an otherwise normal winter. Today, the temperature is expected to reach around 50 degrees.

The unusually warm weather hasn’t been restricted to New Hampshire, either. The video you see below was shot in northern Michigan yesterday, where the ground is completely bare of snow, and expected to remain that way for some time to come. Temperatures were 50 degrees there, and small lakes that are normally solidly frozen over remain open water.

We’re not hearing many jokes about the absurdity of the idea of global warming this winter.

This time, Gingrich is warning voters, “Don’t let the liberal Republican establishment pick our candidate!”

Come again? The liberal Republican establishment? What liberal Republican establishment is this?

Is the liberal Republican establishment some secret club within the GOP that, when Bush and the Republicans sought to put all of Americans’ hard-earned Social Security trust fund into shady Wall Street accounts, argued in favor of sending middle class investors a care package of ramen noodles in compensation?

Is the liberal Republican establishment a subcommittee of the Republican National Committee that meets in the basement in order to plan, when the Arctic Ocean is melted due to global warming and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is converted into an oil drilling field, legislation requiring oil companies to place one chest freezer outside each refinery it builds, so that the Arctic wildlife still has a place that feels like home?

Is the the liberal Republican establishment a caucus that, when the Bush Administration developed the policies of violent interrogation that led to torture in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, lobbied for a provision requiring torturers to say “my bad” every time a prisoner screamed?

Is the liberal Republican establishment a collection of congressional aides who, when the Republicans in Congress tried to shut down the federal government this year, asked if it would be possible to allow a room of five child laborers in India to remain open as a federal government call center?

Mr. Gingrich, I’m looking really hard for this liberal Republican establishment you’re talking about, but I just can’t find it.

Can anyone give me any clues?