Iowa Caucuses
When elite-Republican Romney only gained a fourth of the vote, it’s obvious that three fourths of Republicans don’t like him. He spent a lot of money, and only beat Santorum, who had embarrassingly little cash, by 8 votes. Today, Romney was endorsed by John McCain, a move indistinguishable from the kiss of death. He will continue to be supported by the left wing of the party. They’ve been responsible for runs by Rockefeller, Bush I, Dole, and McCain, and simply can’t recognize how widely and deeply hated they, and their candidates, are.
Ron Paul is the only “Jackson Man” running in either party. He is true to the Constitutional ideals that motivated Andrew Jackson, who shut down the National Bank. That was the forerunner to the Federal Reserve that Ron Paul wants to close. The important thing about voting for Paul is sending a message about how important it is to shrink government. That message will be ignored.
Santorum has picked up most of the Cain supporters. He will probably get most of the five or six percent of Republicans who’d been supporting Bachmann until she withdrew, today. Santorum’s virtual win will turn off some of the spigots from which donations flowed to the other candidates. “What’s the point of throwing money down a rat hole?” some donors are already asking Romney callers.
Gingrich the most Viable
Outside the top three, Gingrich remains the most viable. He is carrying too much baggage. His worst mistake was to help the Government Party pretend that Global Warming was a real problem. He should have identified it as the fraud it was, rather than sitting on the sofa with Nancy Pelosi. We don’t need any more gullible, popularity-loving Presidents. Can’t afford them.
Perry is the most experienced administrator running. He may make up ground in South Carolina, but has an uphill fight. He was a Democrat for a long time, and lacks the glibness that’s now equated with winning elections. When he withdraws, he can send his supporters, a largely reasonable group, to either Gingrich or Santorum. That decision will help one and hurt the other.
