GOP Gator Wrestling

GOP Gator Wrestling, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Satan argues that a pair of recent scandals -- Newt Gingrich's past request for an open marriage, Mitt Romney's money in the Cayman Islands -- make both candidates well-suited to win the South Carolina primary, in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Mitt Gives Rivals the (Pink) Slip

Mitt-Pink Slip, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Mitt Romney has won the Republican New Hampshire presidential primary, and the Devil has kudos for his infamous remarks about "pink slips" in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Mitt's Flip-Flop Fashion Statement

Mitt Flip-Flop Cartoon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

A flip-flop parenting pair urges their children to emulate a certain GOP presidential candidate in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It."

Thanks to my friend Mark for the idea!

Santorum's Spider Web

Santorum TARP, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Oh, what a tangled web former Sen. Rick Santorum spun for three rivals at this week's Republican presidential debate. Santorum accused Mitt Romney, Herman Cain and Rick Perry of all backing TARP. Read more in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Rick Perry's 'Alamoment'

Perry Alamo Cartoon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is circling his wagons. His fellow conservatives lambaste him for his stumbling syntax in debates, and for his softness on illegal immigration. One hundred seventy-five years after the Alamo, is it Perry's turn to make his last political stand? Find out in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It!"
Merci to my muse for suggesting I actually look at a photo of the Alamo before drawing it.

Kiddie Cages and GOP Debates

GOP-Kiddie Cages Cartoon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

While much of the United Kingdom has condemned the sight of 8-year-olds fighting in cages, Satan feels that the Republican presidential candidates should take a page from their playbook, in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Can Mitt Bust Perry's Bronco?

GOP Bronco Busters, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Looks like Texas Gov. Rick Perry will two-step right into the 2012 GOP nomination. Is there anything Mitt Romney can do to stop him? Read more in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Brown's Policies 'Border' on Liberalism

Scott Brown-Debt Bill, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Well, the debt-ceiling bill has finally passed -- with help from MA Sen. Scott Brown, one of the Republicans who voted for it in the Senate. Satan explores the nuances of his vote in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Bruins Win Bodes Well for Romney

Romney Bruins cartoon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

The Boston Bruins are pro hockey's Stanley Cup champions ... and the Devil thinks ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney can follow their lead in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Will Palin Visit Winter Olympics?

Palin Olympics Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics are in full swing ... and a crass airplane passenger has already taken a swing at former (and future?) Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on the flight from there. Yet Satan thinks another possible GOP challenger, Sarah Palin, might have better luck if she follows up her stop at the Daytona 500 with a visit to Vancouver. Read more in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Romney's Republican Socialism

Into the breach of the health-care debate stepped former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney Monday morning -- and he took a stance that blended conservatism with socialism.
Before then-Gov. Romney helped pass a bill mandating Massachusetts residents to obtain health insurance in 2006, "a lot of people who were able to buy (insurance) just went to the hospital (emergency room)," Romney said on Laura Ingraham's radio show on WRKO-AM (680). "We said, 'No more free riders.'"
This came off as conservative chutzpah from a one-term governor (2003-07) who failed to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and whose support of statewide health insurance could further hurt his presidential prospects in 2012. For it sounds like Romney is playing defense by casting his cooperation with the Democratic-dominated state legislature in a Republican light as his party tilts ever more to the right on health care.
Laura seemed like she wasn't buying it, telling Mitt, "Sometimes experiments do fail" and that the bill was "not exactly the way I'd have fashioned it." She did concede that "I do like this state's trying new ways of going about things."
And it sounds like even Romney's would-be heirs in the Bay State are abandoning his standard. Romney noted that State Sen. Scott Brown, the GOP candidate in the special election for Ted Kennedy's former US Senate seat, was "one of those who supported the bill." Something tells me that Brown, sounding ever more conservative with an election looming on Jan. 19, won't appreciate Romney's bringing up the past. (Especially since on his own campaign website, Brown says he supports the 2006 Massachusetts health-care law.) And neither will the national Republican party, no matter how much Romney spins it.

Sanford, Palin: Dems' Gifts from the Magi

Sanford-Palin Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

If you're a Democrat, chances are you gotta like the latest news coming out of Republican-Land. Two of the top GOP contenders for the 2012 presidential nomination, Govs. Mark Sanford and Sarah Palin, did their chances in recently -- one with an extramarital affair, the other with an unexpected resignation. Satan wonders whether Mitt Romney will make it a trifecta in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

PS - The title of this post -- and the fourth panel -- refer to the classic O. Henry short story "The Gift of the Magi."