Yankees Go Home

I almost felt sorry for the Republican Presidential hopefuls this weekend.  Here they are looking for votes in the reddest of red states and they just can't seem to get the pander patter down right.  I was hugely amused by the recent article in the Washington Post documenting their discomfort.

Larry, Curly and Moe talk cheesy grits

Mr. Romney, perpetually ill at ease with us 99 percenters, seems particularly uncomfortable among the southern corn pone and moonshine crowd that is the heart and soul of the Republican political base.

Romney’s efforts to connect focused on food. “I got started right this morning with a biscuit and some cheesy grits,” he said in Jackson, Miss. “I’ll tell ya — delicious.”

One suspects that Mr. Romney's religious beliefs may also be a headwind in this neck of the woods - although at least one thoughtful voter seemed willing to overlook this shortcoming.

 “I wished he wasn’t Mormon. I wished he was Christian.” Then, she said, she recalled Mormons doing good work in the community. “I thought about it, and I never had any problem with Donny Osmond being Mormon.” 

Mr. Santorum, his Christian bona fides notwithstanding, seemed equally ill at ease.

He [Santorum] recalled a story about the time that a political opponent had trash-talked Pennsylvania, by saying it was “Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but Alabama in between.”

The crowd laughed softly and seemed to understand that this was not a compliment to Alabama.

Mr. Gingrich, a tireless promoter of himself as an intellectual and a Yankee by birth, but a long-term resident of Georgia, also struggled.

Showing off his superior knowledge of grits, he declared in Dothan, Ala.: “I like grits. I like cheese grits. I like grits with gravy. There’s a number of ways you can have grits.”

But Gingrich also fumbled. He railed against the Chevy Volt, calling the electric vehicle too liberal — an “Obama car” — because “you can’t put a gun rack in a Volt.”

The line fell flat. a Volt can accommodate a gun rack according to the manufacturer. But you probably wouldn’t want to install one in a sedan — the familiar kind of gun rack is better in a truck.

The polls show tonight's southern primaries too close to call.  I may actually watch the returns - should be good entertainment if nothing else...

In other news, Alison and I took a nice walk yesterday and the Auke Bay harbor provided an opportunity for observing a number of waterfowl.

Pic of the day - A Common Mure

I do believe there is a stirring of spring lust in birdland

Not a great pic - but here are three Red Breasted Mergansers (male on right) and a female Long-tailed Duck

We also spotted several loons and a Pigeon Guillemot (we think) but sadly they were too far away for decent pictures.

So there you have it!