The campaign of Tea Party favorite Ben Carson is apparently self destructing.

Courtesy of the Washington Post:  

The presidential candidacy of Ben Carson, a tea party star who has catapulted into the top tier of Republican contenders, has been rocked by turmoil with the departures of four senior campaign officials and widespread disarray among his allied super PACs. 

In interviews Friday, Carson’s associates described a political network in tumult, saying the retired neurosurgeon’s campaign chairman, national finance chairman, deputy campaign manager and general counsel have resigned since Carson formally launched his bid last month in Detroit. They have not been replaced, campaign aides said. 

The moves gutted the core of Carson’s apparatus and left the 63-year-old first-time candidate with only a handful of experienced advisers at his side as he navigates the fluid, crowded and high-stakes contest for the Republican nomination. 

Carson is a hot commodity on the right-wing speaking circuit and has fast become a leading candidate, winning straw votes at conservative gatherings and rising in public polls. 

But his campaign has been marked by signs of dysfunction and amateurism, alarming supporters who privately worry that Carson’s sprawling circle of boosters is fumbling his opportunity. And, they argue, the candidate has been nonchalant about the unrest.

I have little doubt that Carson will find more political leaches ready and willing to climb onto his campaign to nowhere, but I think the fact that this thing is ultimately going to crash on the rocks is already a foregone conclusion.

In fact my anticipation of Carson's self immolation during the first handful of debates is right up there with my anticipation of the new Jurassic World movie opening this week.

My only question is will he be the first to spontaneously combust or will he be preceded by the likes of Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, or Rick Perry?

All I know is that this is going to be some of the most entertaining television since Breaking Bad went off the air.

The slow motion train wreck that is the Rand Paul presidential campaign is no less spectacular on its second day than it was on its first.

Is #RandPaul good for women #KnowYourCandidates .@WIR_GLOBAL .@FemMajority .@feministing .@WVFeministArmy .@NARAL pic.twitter.com/U7oK142yud
— Karen Teegarden (@KarenUniteWomen) April 7, 2015

As we noted yesterday Paul's campaign came out of the gate like a drunken pinball crashing against the bumpers and triggering warning bells and flashing lights that were then eagerly reported by slack jawed journalists.

Well the campaign's second day was not any better.

Paul had already been accused of "mansplaining" and misogyny, due to his responses to female reporters. But as it turns out Paul is kind of a dick to ALL reporters, as demonstrated by his responses to a male AP reporter:

In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Paul would not say if his opposition to abortion rights includes an exception in cases of rape, incest or risk to the life of the mother. 

"The thing is about abortion — and about a lot of things — is that I think people get tied up in all these details of, sort of, you're this or this or that, or you're hard and fast (on) one thing or the other," Paul said. 

Yeah some people are so tied up in these details that they keep passing legislation that closes Planned Parenthood clinics and makes it criminal to get an abortion after 20 weeks at which time a pregnant woman is first able to get testing to determine if her fetus has any life threatening birth defects.

At one point Paul decides to outmaneuver the AP reporter:  

Paul grew testy when pressed in the interview on the question of exceptions. "I gave you about a five-minute answer. Put in my five-minute answer," he said. 

Later in the day, when asked after a campaign stop in Milford about the interview, which the Democratic National Committee had sent reporters, Paul said, "Why don't we ask the DNC: Is it OK to kill a 7-pound baby in the uterus?" 

"You go back and go ask (DNC head) Debbie Wasserman Schultz if she's OK with killing a 7-pound baby that's just not born yet," Paul said. "Ask her when life begins, and ask Debbie when she's willing to protect life. When you get an answer from Debbie, come back to me."

So the reporter DID ask Wasserman Schultz. And this is what she said:  

"I support letting women and their doctors make this decision without government getting involved. Period. End of story."

It does not appear that Paul directly responded to that statement, but in the remainder of his answers about abortion he suggested that human babies are way better than animal babies and that "something special is imbued into human life."

Of course for my money the really big elephant in any Rand Paul campaign room, is his past association with conspiracy nut Alex Jones:

Paul has credited Alex Jones, who heads conspiracy website Infowars.com and an eponymous radio program, for being a vital part of his 2010 Senate campaign. Jones endorsed Paul, turned out followers to his events, and partnered with Paul for fundraising, at one point crashing his website. Since Paul's election to the Senate, Jones has continued to serve as a key Paul booster, including endorsing him for 2016. 

Paul has been a longtime guest on The Alex Jones Show, originating from Jones' friendship with Rand's father, former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX). Jones said last year he first interviewed Rand in 1996 and was "probably one of the first people to ever interview" him.

 Jones hosted Paul several times during his 2010 Senate race, telling listeners that he "can't stress enough how important this race for the Kentucky Senate is." Jones called Paul the "real McCoy" who will fight "against the New World Order" and "stop the thieving, stop the gang raping" in Washington. Jones said on his January 26, 2015, broadcast that he privately encouraged Paul to run for Senate.

If you think Paul gets a little testy while responding to questions about abortion, just wait until a reporter corners him concerning Alex Jones. 

And that is not the only scandal waiting in the wings either.

I swear I watching Rand Paul's campaign coming loose at the hinges almost makes me wonder if a Sarah Palin campaign could really do any worse?

Train carrying crude oil derails, and explodes, causing the evacuation of residents in a one mile radius.

Damn look at that!

Courtesy of the Charleston Daily Mail:  

Residents who were near the derailment of a crude oil train in Fayette County say it shook and rocked their community like a Biblical judgment. 

Around 1:20 p.m. Monday, a CSX train carrying crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken formation derailed in the Mount Carbon area of Fayette County, sending oil tankers off the tracks, with some reaching the Kanawha River. 

The train, consisting of two locomotives and 109 rail cars, was en route to Yorktown, Va. As of Monday evening, it was unknown how much oil spilled from the train. 

According to a statement on its website, CSX is “working with first responders to address the fire, to determine how many rail cars derailed, and to deploy environmental protective measures and monitoring on land, air and in the nearby Kanawha River. The company also is working with public officials and investigative agencies to address their needs.” 

It was also reported that residents within a one mile radius had to be evacuated and the fire burned for over nine hours. 

The Governor of West Virgina, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, declared a state of emergency.

According to NPR two local water treatment plants closed their intakes and have asked residents to conserve water as thousands of gallons of crude oil pour out of ruptured tank cars.

Oil spills, explosions, contaminated water. Gee you know what might be helpful right about now?

A new source of energy.

As promised here is last night's Celebrity "Nobody here's a" Wife Swap featuring Bristol Palin and Melissa Rivers. Update!

Joan Rivers: "In my generation she would have been known as the little whore down the block."

BEST line of the whole show.

As I said in the comments of the open thread last night what this appearance ultimately did was forever deflate he notion that Sarah Palin is a super mom and that he family is close knit and healthy.

Everything from Willow's refusal to return to her parents house after "hair school," to Tripp's astonishing lack of discipline, to Bristol's truly ungrateful response to Joan's hospitality, speaks to the fact that for all intents and purposes these children have grown up with very little structure and no good role models.

Personally I believe that Bristol is about one more reality show away from having the Office of Children's Services come and take Tripp away from her.

If there is ANYBODY who comes off as an innocent victim here it is Tripp. Especially after you witness how hungry is is for structure in his life and somebody with some parenting skills to make him feel safe.

Here are the other three videos for your "enjoyment."

Part two.

Part three.

Part four.

(Oops forgot two of the parts.)

Part Five.

Part Six.

Update: Here is Joan River's Facebook page.

For fun see if you can pick out the Palin-bots in the comments section. It is like playing "Where's Waldo" if Waldo was screaming profanities at you while taking a giant crap in the middle of the book.

The New York Daily News captures Sarah Palin's return to Fox News in pictures. Oh, my.

Courtesy of The NY Daily News:

Sarah Palin returned to the FOX News airwaves Monday morning, blasting Mayor Bloomberg for his "bizarre bucket list" of measures that deprive New Yorkers of their God-given rights and treating city residents like "a bunch of little babies." 

"Your mayor, bless his heart," she started before bashing him for trying to ban large soft drinks, institute tighter background checks for gun owners and she took aim at his recent proposal to recycle food scraps in the city. 

Donning a pink top, black mini-skirt with pink polka dots and snakeskin strappy high heels, Palin, 49, was warmly welcomed back to the conservative cable news channel. 

Her return segment included an interview with Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a chat with two captains from "Deadliest Catch" and a tour of a Winnebago parked outside the show's studio. 

Palin returned to the network after a five-month leave but she assured viewers that "she never went far." She says she's been spending time with her family and also revealed her newfound enthusiasm for hot yoga. 

Hot Yoga?  Nothing this woman does could be considered "hot" anymore.

Hmm, perhaps she meant "hot yogurt?"

Perhaps the best advice concerning Sarah Palin came from Jhn Oliver last night on the Daily Show, who made the startling claim that we could all just ignore her.

"She's now effectively quit quitting. She can't even commit to being uncommitted."

Yeah well that WAS pretty funny but seriously how do you NOT pay attention to a giant train wreck, covered in shit, careening across your television set?

I mean come on!

It would be like watching a giant meteoric plummeting toward earth. Yeah you realize that the light will probably burn your corneas but you still want to see it actually crash down to earth. Right?

Sarah Palin not being paid to speak at high school commencement, and "doesn't want a frenzy." Are they sure this is THE Sarah Palin? Update!

Courtesy of the Spokesman -Review:

On April 18, Weyer and school officials had the phone call with Palin’s representative and learned that Palin would be coming to graduation. 

(RHS principal Shawn) Anderson’s priority is to preserve the event as a commencement ceremony – something focused on the students and their families. 

“This isn’t going to be a circus, and this isn’t going to be a political statement,” he said. 

Weyer says that Palin, who is not being paid and is traveling on her own dime, has expressed similar wishes. “She doesn’t want a frenzy,” he said. 

Still, certain frenzylike elements are bound to accompany the appearance of a figure like Palin. Each graduate gets 20 tickets to distribute for the 1 p.m. commencement ceremony on June 1, and then admission to the small gym will be first-come, first-served. There’s room for around 700 people; Anderson expects he’ll be turning people away. 

Weyer said the event is the talk of the 1,000-resident town. 

“Everyone’s asking for tickets,” he said. “Everyone’s very ecstatic.”

"Not going to be a circus?"

Has this guy never seen a circus? THAT is the very definition of a Sarah Palin appearance.

Sometimes she dresses like a clown.

Sometimes she appears as the incredible shrinking woman.

Sometimes she plays the part of the big cat.

Or reminds us of her skill as a sword swallower.

And sometimes she appears as the scary thing that goes bump in the night.

But yes it will ALWAYS be a circus.

And if the simple, somewhat ignorant, folk of Republic think otherwise they are about to experience a rather rude awakening.

If Palin is not being paid to attend this event then she must have another reason for flying there on her own dime, and rest assured it is NOT out of the goodness of her heart.

"This isn't going to be a circus. We don't want a frenzy." Please, these people have NO idea of the forces they have unleashed.

(H/T to Seattle PI)

Update: Well it appears that if this IS going to be a "frenzy" it might prove to be one that nobody bothers to notice.  This from Seattle Weekly:

Still, to a large extent, Palin’s visit has drawn a rather ho-hum reaction from the 1,073 folks who populate this old gold mining town in Ferry County. 

“I haven’t heard much about it all, or anyone really talking about it” says Alice Barnes, bartender at Madonna’s, a bar and grill on Main Street. 

“I don’t think there’s that much going on, other than her going to talk at the school. We’ve been left completely out of the loop of this,” sniffs Jim Milner, director of the town’s chamber of commerce. “We’ve been working on our annual Prospector Days celebration next weekend. That will be a lot bigger deal than this.” 

Palin’s star-power is barely a glimmer these a days. “We’ve had no requests from anyone in the national media,” notes Republic High principal Shawn Anderson, who’s coordinating the event. Indeed, it’s been a long, strange journey for the one-time governor Alaska who John McCain recklessly plucked out of obscurity to jump-start his moribund campaign in 2008.

Yeah well you certainly could not expect Palin to compete with the white knuckle excitement associated with the Prospector Days celebration, now could you?

Well THAT certainly paints a different picture than that first article did. Hmm perhaps Palin will actually get her completely disingenuous wish of being ignored by the media.

Update: Well this is more than a little disturbing;

The closest Tyler Weyer has been to Sarah Palin was dressing as her — red blouse, auburn wig, rimless glasses and all. 

About a month ago, before his classmates, teachers, principal and mother, the 17-year-old senior wobbled on high heels, purchased from the “11 plus” shelf at Value Village in Spokane. He towered over a blonde eighth-grade girl in a pantsuit on the Republic High School stage as they discussed the role of sexism in the 2008 presidential campaign. 

“So please,” implored Tyler to the audience, “Stop photoshopping my head on sexy bikini photos.” 

“Stop saying I have cankles,” the eighth-grader deadpanned. 

Their spoof was a hit, even though everyone knew Tyler would do Sarah Palin. Last year, for the debate team’s annual “Interp Night,” he read the first paragraph of Palin’s book Going Rogue and nailed her distinctive Wasilla accent. He can still recite the opening lines — “It was the Alaska State Fair, August 2008. With the gray Talkeetna Mountains in the distance...” — from memory.

"Cankles?" Now on which site have I consistently read about Palin having cankles? 

Interesting to see that Palin's supporters continue to be these disturbed stalker types with unhealthy fixations and bizarre methods for demonstrating their reverence.

Palin may need more than old "Two Tone Todd" to protect her from THIS group of admirers.

Like a sideshow barker Sarah Palin tried desperately to drum up interest in Bristol's televised train wreck.

Courtesy of Palin's Facebook page:

Bristol's new show "Life's a Tripp" premieres tonight on the Lifetime channel at 10pm/9c! I think people viewing the show will see how independent and hardworking she is -- as is Willow who is shown making the move from graduating high school early to working and moving on to her next school. Bristol's show is the antithesis of any glamorization of single parenthood. Hers is a very real life (in fact, the show's producer recently mentioned that Bristol has a very ordinary job, but that was one of the few places she wouldn't allowed filmed because it is in a doctor's office). Single motherhood is shown to be as difficult as it is -- especially with the added challenges that come with having people irrationally dislike you. But I think people will also see that Bristol doesn't see herself as a "victim." She just deals with the challenges, learns from them, and moves on. The show's first installment tonight lays the foundation of the show, so it has to delve into some backstory; but the series moves on from all that stuff and becomes a great Alaskana show that keeps getting better as it goes. 

I hope you'll join me in tuning in tonight. - Sarah Palin

Uh...did Palin actually see this show?

Everything she says about it is the exact opposite of what we all saw last night. Almost like she had an idea of what she WANTED the show to be about, but then reality stepped in and altered her predetermined mythology. You know, like always.

I like the fact that this "very ordinary job" that Bristol has, you know the one we have been hearing about for the last three years, is just about the ONLY place that the reality show was not allowed to film. Almost as if it doesn't really exist.

Sadly for the Grizzled Mama, and her spiteful oddly chinned cub, the viewers were VERY unimpressed with what they were subjected to last night. Apparently it bombed!

The premiere of Lifetime‘s new reality series Bristol Palin: Life’s A Tripp last night drew an underwhelming 726,000 total viewers and 254,000 adults 18-49. The series starring Sarah Palin’s daughter fell dramatically from its lead-in Dance Moms, which delivered 1.8 million total viewers and 992,000 18-49s. Life’s A Tripp, which had received negative reviews almost across the board, also was well below the debut of the Lifetime’s now-defunct Roseanne Barr docureality series Roseanne’s Nuts, which opened with 1.6 million total viewers and 863,000 in adults 18-49 before falling off precipitously in subsequent airings. 

Well that should come as no surprise since most of us know that WHATEVER Palin touches turns to a steaming pile of mooseshit!

Speaking of train wrecks, piles of steaming mooseshit, and things that don't exist, here is Palin on Hannity last night using her "expertise" in Constitutional law to spew word salad in an attempt to call out our constitutional scholar of a President for NOT understanding the Constitution. (Trust me hearing her say it, does NOT make it any less confusing.)

Click image to view the crazy.

Does anybody else buy the excuse that Palin did NOT mention Mitt Romney during her Right Online speech because she feared violating the rules?

Sarah Palin and rules does not compute. But Sarah Palin holding a grudge and refusing to endorse a candidate that she dislikes, DOES compute!

Of course that does not keep her from offering the Romney campaign really bad unsolicited advice, which I somehow doubt they are willing to accept, especially since a Romney adviser claims that Palin "poisoned the well" for future female VP candidates.

McCain and Palin together again! Because some people are just slow learners.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Actually I am very interested in whether Palin will have any effect one way or the other.  And if she does, will it be positive or negative?