It's finally here: the third round of the 2013 Daily Kos Republican March to Madness Tournament, aka The Insane 16. This round features eight epic battles as we crown the craziest Republican of them all. This contest is from the Theocons Region and features #1 seed Rick Santorum against #4 seed James Inhofe, the Republican senator from Oklahoma.
Santorum defeated Catholic League Press Releaser Bill Donohue in the first round with 86 percent of the vote. He triumphed over Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina with 70 percent in round two. James Inhofe has defeated two evangelical lobbyist hacks on his path to the Insane 16, taking down James Dobson with 65 percent of the vote and Tony Perkins with 68 percent. Santorum's main claim to fame is fearing that marriage equality will force him to marry his dog, but if that were to happen, his campaign against recreational sex in marriages might actually have a pretty good shot of succeeding. Inhofe is best known for letting the world know that climate change is a man-made myth designed to deny the existence of God, because clearly God would never create anything that mankind could knowingly screw up.
Whoever wins this matchup will join the winners #1 Rush Limbaugh vs. #5 Glenn Beck in the Right-wing Media Region, #1 Marco Rubio vs. #4 Dick Cheney in the GOP Establishment Region, and #1 Ted Cruz vs. #4 Michele Bachmann in the Teabaggers Region. You'll be able to vote on (and track results of) all the Insane 16 matchups here.
As with previous rounds, you're voting for whomever you believe makes for a better poster-child for Republican craziness. That doesn't necessarily need to mean you're voting for the craziest person, because you might also consider their prominence and influence as well as their association with the GOP. It's entirely up to you. Voting on all Insane 16 matchup will continue until Saturday morning, at which point the Crazy 8 will be set. From there, it'll be on to the Freakshow Four.