My Favorite Year

GOP primary season 2012 is just about in the books now that Santorum has folded.  Gingrich and Paul are still in the mix but the only prize left for them is a prime time gig on Fox News.  Politically, it is over.  Obama will face Romney in the fall.

So let's take a stroll down memory lane at the comic genius of the Republican field for this season.  Here are my favorite moments:

Cain Brain Freeze

Before his meeting with his wife that marked the end of his candidacy, Herman Cain delighted crowds with his sloganeering.  This video shows how little depth was behind the curtain of this one time front runner:

The Rick Perry Happy Place Video

The whole blog post could be dedicated to Rick Perry, but this one will stick with me the longest.  Forgetting the long list of three federal departments he would eliminate is a distant second.  I think it is safe to say that this guy is not an intellectual giant:

Trump Takes Credit for Silliness

Donald Trump was proud of his role in getting Obama to release his long form birth certificate, even though Obama had released his official birth certificate in 2008, the same type of birth certificate that every other presidential candidate had released in the past.  Trump pats himself on the back for keeping the narrative alive that Obama is somehow "different" and "unAmerican".  This guy was a front runner at one point, too.  Donald, you're fired:

Romney Trying to Act Like One of the Guys

Obama can sing, although no one should care.  Mitt Romney refuses to be outdone, however, and delights a retirement community crowd with this little ditty.  I think he has sown up the Lawrence Welk Fan Club endorsement:

Bachmann as Historian

The Founding Fathers worked tirelessly to eliminate slavery.  Didn't know that, since Washington and Jefferson were slave owners til the end.  Here is Ms. Bachmann defending this ridiculous claim.  Is there anyone left who takes her seriously?:

Pawlenty Chickens Out

This is one of those rare moments when you can actually see a campaign ending on the stage.  Pawlenty was dead the second he demurred:

Cheering for the Death of the Uninsured

One of the saddest debate moments I hope I ever have to see:

The Betting Man

Romney is the presumptive nominee, so he gets an extra moment.  In this clips, Mitt reminds voters that he is completely out of touch.  I am sure he thought it made him look tough.  Oops:

There are too many Santorum moments to choose from.  I could have used his quote about JFK's speech on faith that made him want to throw up; or his argument that prenatal testing leads to abortion; or that Obama is a snob for thinking that college is a good and noble pursuit; or that we should just bomb Iran; or that women in combat would lead men to act with too much chivalry.

OK, I pick this one, even though it occurred in 2008:

The list is endless, but the campaign of 2012 is not.  It's over, and I will miss the hijinx.  At least we have Joe Biden to fall back on the rest of the way.  He's sure to say something crazy before November!