The Frontrunner, the Dwarfs and the Debate

Oregon Public Broadcasting brushed off objections by Mayor Sam Adams, but it may be harder to sustain a GOP presidential primary debate in Portland without a frontrunner.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney dispatched a staff member to announce he wouldn't be participating in the March 19 debate in Portland hosted by OPB and broadcast by National Public Radio. Now the question is whether any of the three other remaining presidential candidates will participate. So far, only Newt Gingrich has committed to attend.

While Gingrich's outsized personality and political rhetoric can fill a stage, it is debatable whether the debate will go on if he is a solo act.

There have been 20 Republican presidential debates, the last one February 23 in Arizona. The contest since then has turned into a regional sideshow with Romney, Gingrich and Rick Santorum stumping the country in the shadow of advertising by their respective supporting SuperPACs. Ron Paul depends on his organic grassroots network of support.

The presidential debates may have gone off-script as they degenerated into squabbling, which didn't looked especially presidential. Since Super Tuesday, when Romney picked up victories, including in two states where his main opponents failed to get on the ballot, the frontrunner has chosen to campaign on his status as frontrunner.

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A Last Laugh at 2011

Since its beginnings at a Senate office Christmas party in 1981, The Capitol Steps has produced political satire that makes even lampooned politicians laugh at themselves. The group's 2011 wrap-up is no exception, drawing on a cornucopia of gaffes and ludicrous moments in an otherwise forgettable year.

The musical troupe satirizes Herman Cain's womanizing to the tune of Love Potion No. 9 and spoofs Congress (the opposite of progress) in a take-off of the Mary Poppins' favorite, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. A hilarious reprise of Bob Dole's character returns as the more experienced running mate for John McCain's late-arriving 2012 presidential bid.

Hardly anyone gets a pass in this hour-long special, not even the female U.S. Supreme Court justices, who, while waiting in line at the high court's one-hole women's restroom, coo about their secret lust for fellow justice and conservative hunk Antonin Scalia.

Not surprisingly, the living laugh track known as the GOP presidential candidates gets dominant play in the show, which includes a contest for funniest hopeful of the year. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a previous winner, introduces the contestants. Featured is a romp through revisionist history sung by Michele Bachman and Sarah Palin.

Of course, former Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner makes an, ahem, appearance in what Capitol Steps' veteran Mark Eaton calls a built-in joke. President Barack Obama hangs out with the troupe because "I live with my mother-in-law."

No Capitol Steps show is complete without a version of Lirty Dies, the tongue-twisting, consonant-switching play on words that produces outlandish and belly-laughing results.

You can go to The Capitol Steps website and download the 2011 revue, which also contains a sneak-peak into the anticipated missteps of 2012. Don't try to navigate the distress that lies ahead without first cleansing your soul by listening the troupe's 2011 revue.

Even for the button-down believer, catching a Capitol Steps live show can be a Washington, D.C. highlight. For the cynics in the crowd, the show is a witty confirmation that the country is indeed seriously out of whack. 

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A Last Laugh at 2011

Since its beginnings at a Senate office Christmas party in 1981, The Capitol Steps has produced political satire that even makes lampooned politicians laugh at themselves. The group's 2011 wrap-up is no exception, drawing on a cornucopia of gaffes and ludicrous moments in an otherwise forgettable year.

The musical troupe satirizes Herman Cain's womanizing to the tune of Love Potion No. 9 and spoofs Congress (the opposite of progress) in a take-off of the Mary Poppins' favorite, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. A hilarious reprise of Bob Dole's character returns as the more experienced running mate for John McCain's late-arriving 2012 presidential bid.

Hardly anyone gets a pass in this hour-long special, not even the female U.S. Supreme Court justices, who, while waiting in line at the high court's one-hole women's restroom, coo about their secret lust for fellow justice and conservative hunk Antonin Scalia.

Click to read more ...