Approximately 1% of the population watches Fox News, including just the semi-regular/occasional viewer. If those 6 candidates think targeting their audience to that 1%, which let’s say are representative of a larger share of the actual electorate, is a way to win in a nation where 100,000,000 votes for President will be cast… then those candidates truly are delusional.

Yeah, most of those 100 million voters aren’t paying attention today, but once they actual do tune in, what does the GOP expect them to see? Mitt is the prettiest (visually) out of the bunch, but he’s very wealthy, from a wealthy family, and comes off like a slimy used car salesman. Newt and Paul come off as old codgers fighting the war before the last one. Bachmann is just out there with the Stepford Wife look, and Santorum looks reasonable but he’s not a known name and his need to talk religion will turn people off (even religious people who aren’t wingnuts.)

And as for Perry? I wonder what the people of TX think when they see him like he was during the brief 1.5 minute response tonight? Rambling like he’s half drunk, what can one say?

In my lifetime this has to be the low point of the GOP.

I suspect part of the problem is that the really capable people who are self declared as Republican simply know better than to get involved in this Presidential race, and go about their business in other fields. I was convinced from the start, and it’s been reinforced, that the only reason Huntsman entered the campaign this year was to build name recognition and experience in running a national campaign. I expect his real goal is 2016, and that he’ll be joined then by a few other less-nutty-than-today’s-candidates in that race.