WINNERS:
Ron Paul –
As the various Republican contenders fall by the wayside for sundry reasons, Ron Paul looks less like a fringe kook and more like a legitimate option. He placed third in the latest Iowa poll, just one point behind Mitt Romney. When Newt Gingrich’s past inevitably catches up to him, we may well be down to a two-man race between Paul and Romney.

Newt Gingrich –
For the time being, Newt Gingrich is riding high. He’s way out in front of the field in the latest Iowa poll. A rough interview with Glenn Beck and a bizarre off-handed threat from Nancy Pelosi weren’t enough to slow him down this week. I think even Gingrich is surprised that he’s considered a viable option – the front runner, even – for the Republican nomination at this point in the process. His campaign team is struggling to meet the filing deadlines to get his name on the ballots of various states – a sign of both his shocking success in the polls and unsettling shortcomings in his campaign organization. Still, this was another good week for the Newt.

Donald Trump –
Somehow Donald Trump has become a coveted backer among Republicans. Trump is emerging as a sort of elder statesman within the party, despite having zero political experience aside from a brief flirtation with a campaign earlier this year. I guess having a gagillion dollars will buy a guy some degree of legitimacy. Trump is now clearly established as a king-maker among the dwindling field of hopefuls vying for the Republican nomination. Maybe the remaining contenders will agree to forego the primary process and appear on a reality TV show hosted by Trump to determine the next nominee?

LOSERS:
Alec Baldwin –
Alec Baldwin isn’t an actual political figure, but he wants to be. His delusions of a future in politics took a hit this week when Baldwin became belligerent and was kicked off an American Airlines flight because he was playing a game on his cell phone. Baldwin thought that his celebrity put him above FAA regulations, but he was mistaken. To follow up his boorish behavior, Baldwin Tweeted his umpteen followers to complain about American Airlines, mock their flight attendants, and act as if it were totally normal behavior to disregard safety regulations in order to play an online spelling game with friends. Every time Baldwin does something to build upon his already well-established image as a self-absorbed jerk, his dreams of being taken seriously drift that much farther away.

Vladimir Putin –
I guess we overstated Vladimir Putin’s popularity among the Russian people in last week’s column. This week protesters took to the streets in defiance of the mere possibility of Putin maybe retaking the reigns of the country. His United Russia Party – and by extension, Putin himself – was accused of voter fraud in a parliamentary election that no one seemed to care much about until it was all over. Even Mikhail Gorbachev, who may or may not have died several years ago, got into the act and public called for an electoral do-over. That was one short honeymoon.

Herman Cain –
It’s all over for Cain. I think we’ve spent enough time on his fall from grace in this column. We won’t rehash his plight any further. Suffice it to say (there’s an expression that I don’t get to use nearly often enough) that Herman Cain is in the Loser column again this week – probably for the last time in the foreseeable future as he fades into obscurity. For those who can’t get enough of this Cain Wreck, you can read still more on the subject in Eric Blake’s article or Jason Lightner’s article this week.

Rod Blagojevich –
Very few rational observers doubted Rod Blagojevich’s guilt. But 18 convictions? In Chicago? His 14-year sentence is more than double that of his immediate predecessor, George Ryan, also convicted and sentenced for corruption. Anybody else seeing a pattern here?

THE PEOPLE’S LOSER: LANNY BREUER - 

Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer is Eric Holder‘s right hand man.  It looks like he’s also the Oliver North of the Justice Department. Operation Fast & Furious retroactively has a new mastermind and the Justice Department has its scapegoat.

“You’re blow­ing it with Fox News. The axis today is not lib­eral and con­ser­v­a­tive, the axis is constructive-destructive, and you’ve cast your lot with the destruc­tive peo­ple. Fox has become an incred­i­bly destruc­tive force in our soci­ety. You can be bet­ter, and this is going to be your legacy if you’re not care­ful.”

This struck a chord with me as a person who watched Fox News when I was younger, from about 1998 on up to 2004 when I finally figured out what was going on. I’d been suckered in at the time by the pretty graphics and effects. I figured that since all news outlets reported on the same news in the same way, I may as well be watching news that was pleasing to the eye. The alternatives at the time had graphics which rivaled what C-SPAN currently uses. My favorite shows back then were On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren, Hannity and Colmes, and The O’Reilly Report. I would put on “the news” while I did my schoolwork, while I pottered around on the computer and, in the later years, I would actually sit down on the couch to watch a show or two.

It takes a lot to fix eight years of destructive thought, let me tell you.

You see, I’ve had this beef with Fox News since the veil was lifted, and any time I try to convince a friend or family member who watches Fox of what is happening, they always tell me that I’m a liberal who doesn’t know the truth and that Fox is right because the Republicans are right. I didn’t understand it at the time, but what Steve had to say is absolutely correct and is really the only way of putting it. Fox News is simply a destructive force in the country world and it needs to be stopped.

To say that Fox is conservative is an affront to real conservatives everywhere. You see, there is a clear difference between having political views with healthy debate, and eschewing all manner of intelligent debate by turning politics into sports. What Fox (and for comparison, MSNBC) is doing is both irresponsible and counterproductive to the interests of our country. They are purposefully misinforming the American people in order to further the agenda of the destructive members of our Government.

There exist folks who want to see the poor poorer, and the rich richer. There are folks like Newt Gingrich, who used to be a consultant to the giant investing firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – who caused the sorry state of affairs we’re currently in – that actually want our vote to run this country. There’s a related comment in this post on reddit (Warning: naughty words) about the Gingrich-Mae/Mac relationship. Interestingly enough, the comment that replies to the one I referenced immediately takes aim at Democrats for defending Fannie and Freddy when the Bush administration wanted to regulate them. This is the problem.

Forget the Democrat and Republican crap. It’s lies. All of it. These are two groups of people with slightly differing opinions on how the world should be, but there are large numbers of people in each group that are hungry for power and will lie to your face in order to get it. These are the most unscrupulous, plotting, destructive people you could ever hope to meet and they will smile at you and ask for your vote. Do not give it to them. Do not feed into the destructive people and the destructive media that blasts us with misinformation.

MSNBC shoved Obama down our throats until we were so full of change, it was coming out our nostrils. Now we have the President ordering the assassination of American citizens. It is coming from everywhere and we need to recognize it.

This is how misinformed we are becoming. A study was done recently that discovered that Fox News viewers actually knew less about current events than people who did not watch the news at all. The same was said about MSNBC, but not to the same extent.

Turn the TV off. Read. Ask questions. Get involved.

Or don’t vote. Doing so without being informed is what allows the destruction to continue.

The Doctor

This past Sunday, everyone’s favorite Libertarian in Republican’s clothing, Ron Paul, was on Face the Nation in an interview with Bob Schieffer. Ron talked about foreign policy, the economy, and bringing our troops home. It was good to see him finally getting some airtime after polling at a grand rate for months now.

So CBS gives Uncle Ron some airtime, and it’s with a man who either doesn’t know how to do a proper interview, or has a personal vendetta against Dr. Paul which causes him to twist Paul’s words at every opportunity. This is the kind of disgusting stuff that we as Americans and people who value proper news are simply fed up with. The media continues to push their agenda of getting someone into office who will play ball with the puppet masters behind the scenes – someone who will maintain the status quo. They’re finding out, however, that the people are waking up to this garbage, and they’re running scared.

The Protests

Speaking of running scared, you’d be hard pressed to find a better example of the powers-that-be getting spooked than law enforcement’s reaction to the Occupy protests. It’s becoming alarmingly clear that law enforcement simply doesn’t care about upholding the law in any proper manner. Instead, they wish to instill fear and submission in citizen’s minds. A look at the actions of police across the country – most recently at the UC Davis protests – points to an underlying issue in this whole thing. If you are a peaceful protester, the police will do everything in their power to attempt to change that in order to invalidate your cause. This is their mission and it has been since the start of the protests.

What’s beautiful about all of this, however, is that unlike the police, the protesters have discipline. Shortly after the attack on students was ordered by the school’s Chancellor, the students organized another protest where they sat in silence as the Chancellor walked to her car. This is one of the most epic displays of peaceful protest I have ever seen. It is both calm and unnerving at the same time.

The Tragedy

Amidst all the protest going on the United States, you may find it difficult not to get lost in the noise, with many other countries still experiencing protests and unrest of their own. Egypt has been a particularly troubling note as this picture via Twitter clearly shows (WARNING: Graphic). What this image shows is a large pile of motionless bodies laying on the sidewalk, surrounded by police. The caption of the image, taken by Democracy Now correspondent, Anjali Kamat, is as follows:

“8 unmoving bodies in tahrir, pic i took 3 hours ago, just got to computer 2 upload. not sure how many dead vs. unconscious. corner of #tahrir sq & tahrir st.”

Heartbreaking.