Shadegg Becoming the Christian Bale of GOP Netroots

John Shadegg seemed to be making all the right moves toward getting into the GOP House leadership race. He cleared his name of any Abramoff connected money and got endorsed by Red State. But what’s more curious is he’s apparently making this decision during open-ended conversations with the blogosphere. Well, the Internet has already put Howard Dean in charge and that’s working out, right?

Shadegg Gets Rid of Tainted Donations [Arizona Republic]

John Shadegg for Majority Leader [Red State]

Shadegg Latest [The Corner]

— Eric Pfeiffer

READ MORE: john shadegg, national review online, red state, top

Hi, Again

While the subject line could accurately describe my holiday break, let’s instead think of it as a fresh introduction. A few readers (and one colleague) have asked today who is “Eric Pfeiffer?” For those confused, huddled masses wondering where your beloved references to anal fornication have wandered off to, allow me to offer this brief re-introduction:

Ana is off selling her book. There’s a new Wonkette team on the way. In the meantime, somebody has to steer this ship. And since I’ve displayed such adept skills cat sitting for Mr. and Mrs. Wonkette, the kind people here at Gawker have asked me to fill in for the week. When denying the siren song of the Xbox 360, I spent the past year blogging for National Review and writing for a few other publications.

Before your stomach completely turns, take comfort in the knowledge that I’ll only be playing here this week. Oh, and that’s me on the far right in the pic, appropriately enough.

— Eric Pfeiffer

READ MORE: eric pfeiffer, national review online, wonkette operatives

I Can Finally Get Back to Watching the Tony Danza Show

Wonkette says goodbye to our right-wing man today. Apparently, he’s trying to get a “job,” and the princely salary of $12 per post would force him to rely on that welfare state that doesn’t exist so much anymore. He writes:

I have to go crawl back into my undisclosed location now. That means no more co-editing of the site for me. I promise to return at uncomfortable moments like the boyfriend who dumped you six months ago but still wants to hook up. Trust me, it’s better this way. Thanks to the boss for letting me use her site to heckle you with right wing rants this past week. Just remember, she voted to authorize these posts. It’’s her fault, I swear. — Eric Pfeiffer

READ MORE: bad ideas, eric pfeiffer, national review online

This Looks Like a Day for the Ds

Over at The Corner, John Miller predicts a near clean sweep for the Democrats:

“Later this morning, I’ll be going out to vote for Jerry Kilgore, the Republican running for governor in Virginia; alas, I suspect that Democrat Tim Kaine will be holding a victory party tonight. Down ticket, Bolling (R) will win the race for LG and, in what may be a minor upset, Deeds (D) will win AG. In New Jersey, Jon Corzine (D) will beat Doug Forrester (R), with Forrester not breaking 45 percent. The four California propositions that Arnold Schwarzenegger and everybody else are watching closely, nos. 74, 75, 76, and 77, will all lose. The New York mayor’s race was over before it started: Bloomberg (R, sort of) will win re-election. And in a city close to my own heart, I’m anticipating a small piece of good news: In the mayoral race, Freman Hendrix (D) will oust incumbent Kwame Kilpatrick (D), a man with a wonderfully alliterative melting-pot name but also a fellow who has cared more about taxpayer-funded private parties than improving a city that still needs a lot of help. Bottom line: This looks like a day for the Ds.”

Perhaps it’s for the best. Kilgore’s plan for “Virginia is for Advocates of the Death Penalty” t-shirts just doesn’t have the same ring as “Lovers.” And in a bit of shameless self-promotion, my own take on the NJ/VA races here.
— Eric Pfeiffer

READ MORE: 2005, national review online, virginia

Remainders: Swoon Over Our Hammy

• Watergate hotel sold to Fred Wehba. DNC files auctioned off to highest bidder. [Gridskipper]
• We’ve started a ham sandwich craze. Questions for Karl Rove. [Mr. Sun!]
• HWJF: How Would Jesus Fundraise? Kansas Senator makes faith cornerstone of future prez campaign. [NY Times]
• When it Plames, it pours. [First Read/MSNBC]
• UN talking turkey about bird flu: “A spokesman for the World Health Organisation insisted the risk of human infection was ‘very low.’” [Guardian]
• Ed Cox withdraws from race against Hillary for NY Senate seat. [U.S. Newswire]
• Rep. Patrick McHenry and Tom DeLay got a groovy kind of love. [Washington Monthly]
• Miers not People Like Us, says house that Buckley built. [NRO]

READ MORE: avian flu, christian conservatives, ed cox, harriet miers, hillary clinton, karl rove, national review online, plamegate, tom delay, washington monthly, watergate, what’s the matter with kansas

Vaporized Lithium Pumped Through Ventilation Shaft at National Review

Last night Jonah Goldberg diagnosed himself and members of his ilk as sufferers of Mm’Doh!: “Miers Mental Dementia Obsessive Hysteria.” Symptoms may include lumping together contradictory psychological disorders for cute acronym purposes, and making reference to the following in a single NRO column:

• “Cheez Whiz-sucking Joe Six-Packs”
• “schoolmarms”
• “Federalist phantasms [declaring,] ‘keep ‘em barefoot and in the West Wing.’”
• Ed Gillespie in a “tie-dyed muumuu, [setting] fire to a very sensible bra…”
• “American womyn”
• George Will using handpuppets
• hurling oneself onto the keyboard like the “Phantom of the Opera to bang out an evil melody about the president’s folly.”
• The Longest Yard
• peach cobbler
• St. Vitus’s dance
• Saudi royal concubines
• Howard Fineman of Newsweek

Sorry, Jonah. We can’t help those who don’t first learn to help themselves. —MICHAEL WEISS

Mm’Doh! [NRO]

READ MORE: SCOTUS, harriet miers, jonah goldberg, national review online, temporary psychosis