Florida Primary - Live on PPV

It's that time again, another Presidential primary. You know what that means? - another tardy PPV poster and card rundown.

Florida primary | January 29, 2008
(Summerslam)

Here is the card for the January 29 Florida Primary:
Elimination Chamber Match
Mitt Romney, John mcCain, Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani
This is it for Rudy. Rudy Giuliani was the presumptive nominee for most of 2007 for his big reputation and nationwide name idea as the mayor of New York during 9/11. He has lost a lot of his lustre these past few months as he has been out of the media narrative. Giuliani has taken a big gamble, sitting out the early primaries and focusing all his attention on Florida.

Florida is seen as a must-win for Rudy. A victory he plans to ride into the coming mother-of-all PPVs - "Super Duper Tuesday".

In this Elimination Chamber Match, the three Republican candidates are already in heated battle with each contender winning one primary each. McCain with a victory in South Carolina and New Hampshire, Romney with Michigan and Huckabee taking out Iowa. Rudy is waiting patiently for the gates to open for Florida. Time to see if the gamble pays off.

South Carolina (Democratic Primary) - Live on PPV

As is customary before a major primary, the APF introduces a PPV poster and provides a rundown of the card. Also customary is the late timing...

South Carolina, Democratic primary | January 26, 2008
(Survivor Series)

Here is the card for the Democratic Primary held in South Carolina, January 26 2008.

Triple threat match (No Disqualification match)
Hillary Clinton w/ Bill Clinton
VS Barack Obama VS John Edwards
As the we get deeper into the primaries, the gloves start coming off. This is a no holds barred match. Leading up to the primary, Barack Obama who has derided 'slash and burn' style politics has had to get dirty as Hillary's enforcer Bill Clinton has taken him to the mat. Native son and 2004 South Carolina primary winner, John Edwards hopes to capitalise. By staying out of the crossfire, Edwards has reminded voters that he is the fitting alternative to Obama, a change agent with a hopeful message. This is a must-win for John Edwards. Look for former President Bill Clinton to play a key role from ringside.

McCain supporters - David Brooks and Michael Medved

Anyone with the slightest awareness of conservative punditry will know that McCain doesn't have many supporters. APF Pundits from Rush, Mark Levin, Michelle Malkin to Laura Ingraham have come out strongly on their radio programs and have even taken to print to discredit McCain. And that's putting it lightly.

Only 2 prominent conservatives come to mind as McCain supporters, Radio talker Michael Medved and NY Time columnist David Brooks. Both pundits during the early stages of the GOP debate were supportive or at least accommodating of the then front-runner, Mike Huckabee. After McCain's victory in New Hampshire and subsequent ascendancy, both pundits were more pronounced in their support of McCain. Some have contended that their glowing editorials for Huckabee in the early stages of the GOP race was a ploy to pave McCain's path to the nomination. Hugh Hewitt, a radio stablemate of Medved's has contended as much.

The New York Times' David Brooks is gleeful that Huckabee has monkeywrenched Romney. Huck can't be president, Brooks assures us, but it was good to see the party establishment humbled and McCain's way forward cleared. "Mitt Romney is now grievously wounded," Brooks enthused. "My guess is Republicans will now swing behind McCain in order to stop Mike."

Is the picture clearer this morning for all those Iowa evangelicals on why Mike Huckabee got the gentle treatment after his bizarre news conference Monday?

Read Hugh's full post here

Anti-McCain feeling has been a staple of the Conservative pundit class. The clamour will only get louder with every McCain success in the primaries and polls. Its only been recently that I've heard hits against the McCain supporters such as Brooks and Medved.

Listen and Download Hugh talking with Medved as McCain is declared the victor in the New Hampshire primary.

This exchange is very cordial. Hugh's famed bias for Mitt Romney shows in the discussion as he downplays McCain's victory, Hugh's memes were challenged handily by Medved.

HUGH HEWITT: Michael you're a McCain guy, I'm a Romney guy. We're gonna go back and forth for the next month and we're gonna be friends after this. But I gotta say, aren't you a little disappointed.. the guy who got 60% 8 years ago is down to 37% and out of money
Michael Medved: Absolutely Not! Hugh I think you're really reaching... to beat... the first Massachusetts candidate in the history of the New Hampshire Primary to lose. I mean c'mon Mitt Romney had every advantage here, he outspent John McCain. A win is a win is a win.

Onto another Brooks/Medved rant. This time not as cordial. Mark Levin cuts a mean promo on the two pundits for their support of McCain. In signature Levin style, he calls Brooks a "foolish and almost incoherent man from the New York Slimes" and labels Medved a "backbencher".
Listen and Download Levin's promo here.
Read Mark Levin articulating his anti-McCain/anti-Brooks sentiments in print.

Whilst there is uniformity in the trashing of McCain from these pundits. Another thing is certain, McCain is held in high esteem for his service to America as a respected military man and POW in Vietnam. But as Hugh Hewitt is quick to point "McCain is a Great American, lousy senator and terrible Republican".

Janeane, Seder, Maher and Coulter

Today I heard for the first time, Sam Seder and Janeane Garofalo's maiden episode of their Majority Report radio show. It was a very entertaining and smooth running show, especially considering they were radio amateurs at the time and aren't exactly famed for their preparedness.

The inaugural show featured top notch guests, progressive businessman Ben Cohen (Ben of Ben and Jerry's), blogger Atrios as well as uber comedians Bill Maher and Dave Chappelle.

Its an episode worth seeking. I've chosen this particular snippet simply because it features and references 4 APF pundits.

GAROFALO: You're friendship with Ann Coulter which a lot of people make a lot of. It does strike me as weird though as one of your main tenants of your stand up... you were saying is that "we can't tolerate intolerance"
MAHER: Right
GAROFALO: and Ann Coulter is very, very, very intolerant. At least her public persona is. I don't know what she's like behind closed doors. Her public persona is so intolerant as to be absurd... she says things that are bordering on performance art. In fact I do have a theory that she is Andy Kaufman, the female Tony Clifton.

Listen to a snippet of Majority Report Episode 1 (March 31, 2004)
Go to the old Majority Report blog

South Carolina and Nevada - Live on PPV

Due to some computer issues at PunditFight HQ, we weren't able to organise a PPV poster as is customary before a major Primary. However the poster will be coming soon, so stay tuned.

In the meanwhile you can view the old posters here:
View the New Hampshire PPV poster
View the Michigan PPV poster

Updated: Posters added Jan 25.

South Carolina + Nevada, Republican primary | January 19, 2008
(Survivor Series)

Now let's move onto the South Carolina and Nevada PPVs:

With 3 different primary winners for the GOP and 2 different winners for the Democrats. The upcoming primary will be 'Survivor Series' rules with each candidate pairing with a like minded peer to hopefully eliminate the others and improve their standing.

The Republican primary is taking place in the Palmetto State, South Carolina.
The Outsiders (Mike Huckabee & John McCain)
VS The Reagan Coalition (Mitt Romney & Fred Thompson)
McCain and Huckabee are two candidates gaining popular support amongst the masses and the media but shunned by the Conservative establishment and pundit class. Romney and Thompson have positioned themselves as Republicans who will lead in the grand tradition of Reagan. Both teams will face off with competing ideas ideas for the future of the Republican party.
A win in the South Carolina primary would be a big boost to every campaign but particularly crucial to Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson. Huckabee needs to win to show that his Iowa caucus win was not a a fluke and to prove that he can win in a general primary. Thompson needs to win if he is to be taken seriously. If he can't place well in his "own backyard" he will have to consider forfeiting his presidential run.

The Democratic primary is being held in Nevada.
The Clinton Machine (Bill & Hillary Clinton)
VS Team Change (John Edwards and Barack Obama)
The Clinton brand name plans to roll on through Nevada. After her surprising New Hampshire win, the Clinton juggernaut hope to snuff the 'change' movement early by winning Nevada. Hillary is flanked by her Ex President husband, Bill Clinton. Bill has been instrumental, standing outside the ring with a trashcan full of all manner of foreign objects. Striking at Obama and Edwards on behalf of Hillary whilst the refs have been distracted.
Obama still enjoys popular support but needs to beat Hillary who will only get more unwieldy with each primary win. John Edwards needs to notch a win in Nevada if he is to be taken seriously as a Presidential contender.

Follow the campaign on PBS Newshour's Vote 2008 site
Listen and Download the analysis of Shields and Brooks. Particularly as they touch on the GOP field and Bill Clinton's role in the democratic race. Transcript here.

FAQ: What is Pundit Fighting all about?

I often get emails asking me what American Pundit Fighting is all about. "I like the characters? Are they suppose to fight? Is this a game?" I suspect most of the confusion comes from the MySpace Page. For the benefit of everyone involved here are is a quick rundown.

What is the site about?
The site is about Politics and Punditry. People sometimes characterise partisan politics as a 'horse race', I've always found that comparison one-dimensional. I see it more as a popularity contest, where intangibles like charisma, aura and ideology come into play. I use wrestling as an analogy to illustrate this.
Click here for a quick rundown of the site

Who is the site for?
The site is for everybody! You don't have to know anything about politics and you don't have to know anything about wrestling. A passing knowledge of both might make it more accessible but its not necessary. I don't assume any foreknowledge on the part of the reader so I make a point of providing links, resources and video whenever possible. If my mum can make sense of it, this site has done its job.

What's with the characters and animations?
I'm a graphic designer by day. The site for all intents and purposes could survive without the characters or animations. However as I'm equipped to and enjoy making graphics I use them in place of stock images. The Myspace page is a rarely updated resource page that provides a rundown on all the pundits I may mention on this blog.

The APF is a way of showcasing my writing as well as my illustration and animation skills. I would love for the characters to be used for the purposes of a game and one day I hope to make an animation of the characters wrestling each other. But at this stage they are peripheral goals, the bread and butter of the site is the writing.
Click here for all the art

Where should I start?
I touch on issues of presentation in politics and punditry. Because the themes I discuss are generic and universal, they are not tethered to a time or event. The columns I write should remain relevant no matter how far removed they are from the time I write it to when you read it. I would encourage you to read through the archives. You can begin with some of my favourite posts here:
- Aura
- Kayfabe and Bill O'Reilly
- Heels and Ann Coulter

Michigan Republican Primary - Live on PPV

As per tradition, here is a wallpaper for the upcoming GOP primary in Michigan. To look at the previous wallpaper go here.

Michigan Primary | January 15, 2008
(Great American Bash)

The card is as follows:
January 15, 2008. The Michigan GOP Primaries

Buried Alive Match
Fred Thompson Vs Mitt Romney
This is a must win for both candidates, The Buried Alive Match will literally change the direction of the candidate's campaign. If Fred loses he will need to consider leaving the race or stay simply to soften up the others. If Romney loses he will need to question whether this endeavor is a worthy investment. Either way, the loser is on borrowed time.

Money in the Bank match
Mike Huckabee VS John McCain
The Champion of the Iowa Primary, Mike Huckabee meets the Champion of the New Hampshire Primary, John McCain. The first person to grab the suitcase at the top of the ladder will have an enormous amount of momentum going forward. If both fail, they face a spirited and long GOP nomination that will go the distance.

Punjabi Prison Match
Ron Paul VS Rudy Giuliani
Both candidates are popular leaders. Giuliani has the strongest name ID amongst the conservative field and has been widely tipped to win the nomination. His strategy of sitting out the early primaries has kept him absent from the media narrative.
Ron Paul enjoys popular enthusiastic support. A hit online and fundraising more than any other GOP candidate. Despite this both have been lackluster in their placings for the last two debates. Both will have to climb out this funk and over the wall if they are to contend for the nomination.