Though it’s only been (officially) over for a few days, the autopsy is already underway. Just what did Rick Santorum’s campaign mean for the GOP? For the United States? The going analysis mostly dribbles into the “Can Mitt Romney snag the social conservative vote?” trench. Can he? Probably. Will he? Probably. Will this be enough to win? … Continue reading
From time to time, conservative politicians suggest that a strong economy rests upon traditional family values—especially regarding traditional heterosexual marriages. Bah. Take a look at
Much has been made of the GOP presidential field’s newfound interest in populist appeals—especially on the heels of Mitt Romney’s declaration that he “likes to be able to fire people.” Cue the predictable coverage: Will this make Romney seem out of touch with ordinary Americans struggling in a tough economy? Romney’s opponents—especially Newt Gingrich and … Continue reading
As you’ve probably heard, today’s report on the December job market seems to suggest that the economy is finally turning a corner towards steady job creation again. Not so, mon frère: Campaigning in New Hampshire for Obama’s job, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum claimed credit for Republicans, suggesting the gains were tied to voter optimism that a … Continue reading
Really quickly: It seems to me that (Willard) Mitt Romney’s opponents should be able to get all kinds of traction against him by playing on regional squabbles. In my experience, most of New England hates Massachusetts. They love Boston (Cf. the Sox, above all else), but they
Bachmann’s out. Perry’s hanging on by a thread. Santorum is nearing his apogee. Newt Gingrich is vowing to take down the GOP ship on his own. Sigh. Who cares? Here is what I really think: I could be cute and purposefully counter-intuitive. I could be resolutely serious. I could be any number of things, but … Continue reading
Looks like ex-Senator Rick Santorum is the shock winner of the Iowa caucus, though his margin of victory over Willard Mitt Romney is still razor thin (37 votes with 96.6% of precincts in). Of course, any time that Santorum slides into the news, the REAL winner is Dan Savage…I shudder to think how he’ll respond … Continue reading
Starting to see some stories on Ron Paul as “candidate-now-being-covered-as-the-candidate-who-can’t-get-covered,” as I predicted in my last post. For what it’s worth, I still think he’s the most likely GOP candidate to win Iowa. Gingrich is still the unlikable cad he always was, and Romney’s (still) not catching fire. Santorum appears to be on the lips … Continue reading
From Chris Cillizza this morning [underline added]: [I]t’s possible that Santorum is the next best choice to fill the lingering void among conservatives. “I think Santorum is the next flavor,” predicted one senior Republican strategist not aligned with any of the candidates. “But if Cain can prove he has some endurance, he may become a flavor that … Continue reading
George Will’s Washington Post column this Sunday was a panegyric in Texas Governor Rick Perry’s honor: Perry would rather not run, but his wife, who has a nursing background and is alarmed by Obamacare, says that sometimes desires are secondary to duties. Perry, who sensibly did not watch the Republicans’ recent New Hampshire debate because … Continue reading
