Will Tim Tebow Need a Little Divine Intervention Against Tom Brady and the Patriots This Weekend?
So, you want to do well in your NFL picks? It's easy... Just pick the opposite of us. We did pretty crappy last week, going 1-3. Who knew home field would be such an advantage? Time for a little comeback here.. Time is short, as we prepare for our trip home, so we'll just get it out of the way..
New Orleans at San Francisco
No, Drew Brees is not nearly as good on the road as in the Superdome, but he's still pretty good. Alex Smith has done nice work for the 49ers this year, but there is definitely a dropoff. The big question is can the Saints stop the Niner pass rush? We think so.. Also, the 49er D looked awfully average against a downright awful Rams squad. Frank Gore needs to come up big, but too many weapons. Saints 27-20.
Denver at New England
You think they'll let Tim Tebow throw a little this time??? Problem is, it's gonna be kinda windy, which means those not too accurate throws will be all over the place - adn a couple will end up in the Pats' secondary's hands. Tom Brady is like the Postal Service - Through Wind, Rain or Snow - except that Brady actually delivers. A recent issue has been New England taking about 2 quarters to get it's act together, but they'll be OK. Patriots 31-16.
Houston at Baltimore
How much better do the Texans look with Andre Johnson in the game? Also, Arian Foster is an animal. But, so is Ray Rice. Joe Flacco is a pretty good big game QB, and the Ravens at home? 8-0. TJ Yates is in for a long day against a stout Ravens' pass rush. Ravens 20-13.
New York Giants at Green Bay
Remember when the Giants played a previously unbeaten team, lost 38-35, and realized that they were playoff worthy... then they beat the Packers in Lambeau? Ahh, it sounds a lot like 2007, but it isn't. Note to Brett Favre fans: Aaron Rodgers is SO MUCH better than Favre ever was. Rodgers is a checkdown machine, and the Pack has more weapons than they did last year. The Giants D is peaking at just the right time, but the only thing that'll slow down the Pack is the weather. Packers 27-17.
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Guy Smiley Wins the Granite State ....
Our night was ruined... After being up til 300AM last week while we waited for a couple idiots to find their caucus tallies in Iowa, we were prepared to watch the New Hampshire for a couple hours. Not quite... At exactly 8:01, Fox called the Primary for Mitt Romney. So, what will we do for the rest of the night? We'll blog about it.....
Compared to Iowa, New Hampshire was a bit of a yawner. When the real race is for second and fourth, that'll happen... Basically, Mitt Romney held serve. The real surprise was last week. When you're expected to win, and you pull off a 13 point win, it's not very exciting. But, like Jim Valvano used to call it, you survive and advance. The good news for Romney is that the entire field will advance onto South Carolina, so survive and advance is more like divide and conquer..
What does Romney have going for him? Right now, it's all about electability.. 51% of those who voted for him said that was why. In short, if they think you can win tomorrow, then you will win today. In a surprise to everyone but us, Ron Paul and his Co-Ed Army took advantage of the Live Free or Die independents to a solid second place finish over Jon Huntsman. We're still not sure if Paul can hold the mantle of the Conservative alternative to Romney, but he isn't going anywhere with the most solid showing by the rest of the field...
As for the rest of the pack, we're not too enthused about their showings. Huntsman's third is respectable, but he really needed a second here, and South Carolina has not been too welcoming for him so far. He's got a long way to go. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich are fighting it out at 10% - whoopdie frickin' doo.... Gingrich is almost in free fall mode, and Santorum underperformed what he was polling at, which means once voters in New Hampshire took a good look, they changed their minds at the polls. Between the two, Santorum appears to be in better shape - but one of the two, and Rick Perry, needs to get out to compete with Romney and Paul.
So, it's onto South Carolina now... What will it bring? We'll wait until some new polls come out, and more importantly, what we see when we get on Palmetto State soil. We wished we could spend more time there during the Primary, but the schedule sucks, but we'll show what we see while we're down there.. See ya there!
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If the Girls Came With the Skunky Beer, We Might Drink It...
At long last, the data to back up what we long thought was verified yesterday.... No one is drinking Budweiser anymore. Well, not no one, but less and less. According to sales data, Budweiser fell to the Number Three most popular beer, behind Bud Light, and now Coors Light, aka Pisswater... The other confirmation? Americans have NO TASTE in beer...
We always found the Bud ads calling other beers 'skunky' made us laugh, because Budweiser is the skunkiest beer out there. No amount of slick advertising got us to drink it. No hot chicks, talking frogs, George Clooney voiceovers or Clydesdales worked. The commercials were great during the Super Bowl, but we'll take a Rolling Rock , Blue Moon or Sam Adams over a Bud any day...
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Ahh, The Bridges of Franconia Notch... On the Other Side Is South Carolina - But Who Will Make It There ??
We've made it onto Round Two of the Presidential Primaries/Caucuses. the bad news is we're in New Hampshire, where it's not a very close race. The good news is we've got South Carolina on deck, where the field gets cleared, it's gets even uglier - and we finally have a clear cut leader. We can't wait....
No doubt, the race today is for second place, or to us, third place. This is Mitt Romney's state to lose, and he didn't fall flat on his face. New Hampshire is an interesting state - lots of independents on all sides, and they all get to vote. The splits for those independents and undecideds are falling all ways. Romney wins the electability votes, Ron Paul takes the hardcore vote, Jon Huntsman gets a share of the undecideds, and Rick Santorum gets the Tea Party slice. No clear winner on that section...
So, who is trending up and down? Santorum and Huntsman are going up, but not much. Paul has been going up as well, though not much either. Romney is stuck in neutral as usual. That leaves us with the slippers: Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry. Perry is in deep, deep trouble. We really thought he was quitting after Iowa, but he is hoping for an SC miracle. It ain't coming.... Newt is sliding in New Hampshire as well, but he has a much better chance in the Palmetto State. No, a fourth and a fifth isn't exactly the recipe for victory, but he'll recover some on the 21st. Probably just not enough....
The main headline from New Hampshire? Romney wins pretty handily, Paul makes his push as the possible runner up, Huntsman shows well, but not enough to cause critical mass. South Carolina is going to kill his campaign. Santorum does OK, but not enough to be the clear alternate to Mitt Romney. Gingrich trails, and can't wait to get to South Carolina. Perry is a no-show, but goes onto SC as well. After South Carolina, Huntsman and Perry are both gone....
Romney 37%, Paul 22%, Huntsman 17%, Santorum 13%, Gingrich 9%, Perry 2%.
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Debbie Harwell Ends Her Congressional Bid ....
Guess that post on the ever-shrinking GOP field in the upcoming 7th Congressional district was a bit premature, because we've lost another one... This time, it was Debbie Harwell. Honestly, we were familiar with the name (who in the Pee Dee wouldn't), but didn't know her from a hole in the wall, so our initial reaction was 'exactly who is she?'. But after checking her resume, she had the type of contacts that generally do well in a congressional race.
Newspaper editor, PR rep for about every public project the Grand Strand was shooting for, who seeming was attached to every branch and politician like a Deer Tick. And, of course, she's a Harwell by marriage.. Unfortunately, it was the marriage that got in the way of a political career, when her husband fell seriously ill over the holidays. While we applaud her for scuttling a run to aid her husband, we wonder why people run for office when they're married to a 79 yr old man... Yes, it's hypercritical of us, but these things happen.
For those of you who live in the Pee Dee, this may have been a good thing. In Harwell's resignation announcement, she mentioned continuing to fight for what is best for the people of the Grand Strand.. and the rest of the District. Later, her campaign manager corrected that she meant the Pee Dee as well. For those of us who worry about the Grand Strand dominating the seat, the fears appear real, and we may have just dodged a bullet...
With all the news that's been going on with the GOP field here, we're beginning to wonder how well thought out these candidacies were, and the amount (or lack) of dedication these people had. One thing for sure: the smaller the field gets, the better chance former Lt. Governor Andre Bauer has of taking this. We have misgivings about Andre as the Congressman, only due to his lack of experience in the District, but the Strand hasn't put up a serious candidate. As for the Pee Dee, it appears no one wants to run. Sad... Will there be a last minute candidate entering the race, now that the field is shrinking? Maybe. At this rate, no one will be left by February.....
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That's it... The White Flag of surrender has been raised. For every logical reason we had to explain why Tim Tebow was winning games without divine intervention, yesterday's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers convinced us that God is helping Tim Tebow. We have no official proof, but why fight it anymore?
Yeah, the Steelers weren't at 100%, but the Denver Broncos defense sure didn't make it as easy for SuperTim to win in the normal 17-13 fashion. Yeah, they played too much of an upfront defense for Tebow NOT to hit the big pass over and over again. But, it was HOW he did it that made up believers - pun intended...
With regulation over, and all the momentum on Pittsburgh's side. Denver won the coin toss. No sooner than my friends and I were discussing the new playoff overtime rules, it happened - the entire defense was on the line again, Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas on a crossing route, and like Moses parting the Red Sea, a straight run down the sideline to the End Zone. One play. 80 yards. Game Over. 29-23 Denver...
Yeah, these things happen, but for those of you who need more proof, we have a stat or two for you: Tebow's total passing yards? How about 316? And divide it by the ten completions, it again comes to 31.6 yards per completion. That Rainbow-afro'ed dude from all the games in 70's and 80's is jumping up and down, yelling 'I TOLD YOU SO !!!'. And we can't blame him....
Of course, the real challenge is next week, when Tebow and God battle the perceived God of Passing, Tom Brady... It should be interesting.
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Beyonce and Jay-Z's Superbaby Is Finally Here !!!
Congrats go out to Beyonce and Jay-Z on the birth of their first child this weekend. They named her Blue Ivy. We're not sure where the Blue came from, but Ivy supposedly is a variation on the Number 4 - 4 in Roman Numerals is 'IV'. It's also a '$' if you accidentally keep the cap lock button on, which we just found out. Pretty ironic, don't you think? It turns out both parents were born on the 4th, they were married on the 4th. There was another example, but we didn't care to remember it. So, in perfect timing, she was born on..... the 7th. Oh well, even the super rich and famous don't get everything they want.
From what we read, Jay-Z has already released a rap song about her, and we have no doubts that there will be a Blue Ivy line of kid's clothes out in the near future.... In a way, as pampered as that kid is going to be, we kinda feel a little sorry for her. Every paparazzi worldwide will be trying to take pictures of her, and by the time she's 8, they'll be looking for an album from her. God help if she can't sing or rap like Mommy or Daddy - or both.
Somehow, I doubt any of them are worried about any of this. After all, she's got a nursery that's 400 square ft bigger than my whole house.. You always hope people like these raise their kids to be well-grounded, but that's almost impossible. Beyonce and Jay-Z aren't normal - and we don't allow them to be, because we put them on pedestals so that they can't even go to a 7-Eleven... Best of Luck, and let us know where to send the gift. Hey, everyone could use a Wal-Mart gift card....
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Hey Kid, Come Back When You're Old Enough to Vote !
Time for one of those campaign stories you won't hear from most of the 'Hard News' blogs.. We were going to use this as part of a 'True Presidential Candidate Stories' series, but we couldn't wait. We may work on that other idea anyway... We'll see.
Ron Paul has a reputation for attracting a ton of young people to the Republican Party. We're still not sure how much of a Republican he actually is, but since he keeps running as one, we'll take his word for it. Anyway, Paul may have been an OB/GYN, and he does a great job of getting idealistic, if not realistic, kids to work for his campaign. However, we got a piece of news that makes us think that Paul has a problem with kids between the time of conception and their 18th birthday - like that time when they ask 'stupid questions'...
We saw a story on Fox News, where they had a 9-year old kid from New Hampshire, who has been on the road with the candidates for months. His job? Basically to ask each of them the same question: 'Which superhero do you think best represents you?'. Yeah, on the surface, it is a dumb question, especially if it were coming from Carl Cameron or David Gregory. But hey, it's a 9 yr old - superheroes are all he knows. Does anyone actually expect him to ask about Auditing the Fed or the NLRB??
Well, the kid managed to see all the candidates at one point or another, and he did well. All of the candidates answered his question and thanked him for being involved in the political process. He didn't name a favorite, but he did mention the one he didn't like - Ron Paul. It turns out Paul ignored him - as the kid said, 'He seemed to be more interested in what the adults were asking' - and went on his way.
Our guess is either Paul didn't give a shit, didn't know jack about comic books... or our best thought is that since there is no Superhero whose aim is to End the Fed, Eliminate Income Taxes, become centrist with no world involvement, or return all power to the states, he was unable to choose one. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Very little benefit.....
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Don't Know This Lady? You Will Soon, But You Didn't Need To.
We've said this over and over again... Congress sweats the small stuff too much, and that all they concern themselves with is what is on today's docket. To us, if they paid more attention to the larger issues, and settled on the lesser issues, DC would be a more harmonious and positive place. What do we mean? Well, things happen today that, like Doc Brown would explain in 'Back to the Future', create an alternate reality for everyone. In short, denying something today gives people other options that, in the end, hurt you more than if you would have given them the first gig...
Need an example? We have a great one that is playing out as we speak... So, have you figured out who the lady in the picture is yet? For those of you who answered Elizabeth Warren, congrats! For you of you who drew a blank, there is a good chance you'll hear about her in November. Warren is a professor at Harvard University. She is a well-respected consumer finance expert who we first saw on a documentary film about the credit card scams that were rampant in the mid and late 2000's. Anyone who saw what was going on back then can't say that $39 charges for being a day late was fair...
Warren made a lot of sense, and she ended up playing a major role in defending consumers. It gets a little fuzzy here.. She basically came up with the good parts of Dodd-Frank, which limited the changes banks can charge on credit card accounts. It helped keep people who teetered on their debt from going off the cliff. She also was instrumental in creating what is now the Consumer Finance Protectio Bureau. Now, we are not advocates of creating government agencies for everything. In a perfect world, Congress should be able to write legislation to do the same thing. Also, the scope of the bureau has not been clearly defined, but that's not the focus of today's dicussion, so we'll avoid that today. However, thanks to lobbyists, Congress is not a place where a simple cap on charges can be passed...
Back to our point. Thanks in large part to that inability, the CFPB was created, and nearly all advisors to Barack Obama had one recommended person to run the bureau - Elizabeth Warren. Republicans fought tooth and nail against Warren, so Obama backed off nominating her, and instead chose Richard Cordray. You may have heard about this lately.... So, instead of being a basically no-name bureaucrat at a small government agency, Warren was recruited for something else - the US Senate in Massachusetts.
Yep, she is the prime challenger to Scott Brown for the Democrats to gain back Ted Kennedy's old seat - and from all polls, she is handily kicking Brown's ass. Partly due to it being Massachusetts, partly due to her credentials, and partly due to Brown being unable to do anything he wanted to, but Brown is in serious trouble. Warren wasn't even looking for a Senate seat. Decent candidates often don't - only people with overblown senses of self actually LOOK at themselves as Senators. She'd be sitting behind a desk in Washington, playing with numbers all day. Instead, the GOP went to war over nothing to very little, and now she likely will be taking back a very important seat in the Senate for the next six years.... That's how it goes in life.
It reminds us of an old story about a Cuban pitcher back in the early 50's... he tried out for a few teams, but none of them would sign him, so he went home, and went into politics instead. His name? Fidel Castro. At the time, we're sure he would have much rather been a pitcher, but when that door closed, all the other options opened up his mind for him. Same thing with Warren. On the whole, the GOP has gained nothing by the obstructionism in this case. Measuring what they will lose will be easy. Next time, they may realize keeping the happy mouse in his box is a better outcome..
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"A good government implies two things; first, fidelity to the objects of the government; secondly, a knowledge of the means, by which those objects can be best attained."
- Joseph Story, 1833.
Pretty basic, but basics are often the most correct way to look at things. Keep a focus on what areas the Federal Government should address, and then find the best way to approach fixing those needs... It used to be we fought over only the second part, but now both seem to be at odds... There is no argument that French beauty Laetitia Casta is smoking. Her nickname is P.G.E - Proof God Exists. Amen !!!
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It's the New Year, and with it is the start of Tax Season. Rather than pay inventory tax on all our left over political cartoons, we're extending our Buy One, Get One Free sale .... Oh yeah.... and it's 2012. Maybe out tax bill won't matter, since Earth may be coming to an end, but we'll stay optimistic.
And of course, it's election year. There will be plenty of stuff to shovel.. It just probably won't be white! Promises, promises..
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"This I hope will be the age of experiments in government, and that their basis will be founded in principles of honesty, not of mere force."
-Thomas Jefferson, to John Adams, 1796.
It's hard to believe nowadays that a republic would be viewed as an experiment.... but then again, everything was ruled by a King or Dictator. Luckily, we've done pretty well with it the past 236 years. Try not to mess with it, people. However, feel free to mess with Jana Miartusova... Look at that tummy! Bounce a quarter of that thing, and you'll never find it..
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For a Couple Would-Be Congressmembers, That One Thing Was 'Get Arrested' and 'Get Pregnant'...
Sometimes, people don't think about things fully before doing things. We speak from experience on this.. When we ran for Congress in 2004, we had no staff, no money... All we had was an idea, and a reliable car. Times change, but from what it looks like this week, the unfocused thought process hasn't....
When you run for public office, staying disciplined is a primary trait. Why? Because once you get there, it takes the same focus and ability to block out the lobbyists, single-issue groups and idiot fellow members of Congress to be a great legislator. Simply put, if you can't stay disciplined when running for office, you won't be disciplined once you get there. To us, it sure looks like two people running for the new 7th District seat failed.. One worse than the other...
The Grand Prize goes to Thad Viers, who was arrested to allegedly stalking and harrassing his ex-girlfriend since their June breakup. We've never met Viers, but from all the bad press he's gotten over the past five years, we're surprised that he even decided to try and run for Congress. Sorry Thad, but we like to put good people in office, and this third or fourth strike pretty much cements that you have some personal problems to hash out before running for anything ever again. No means no. After a good-hearted try to make up, if they still want nothing to do with you, it's time to move on...
The second one we are going to try to tip-toe through, because it's going to make us look like a bunch of sexist pigs.. According to a couple posts from her on Facebook, Mande Wilkes is pregnant. No, this is not a voluntary misstep like Viers. Then again, if you don't want to have kids, there are a few pretty foolproof methods to employ. Sometimes, God manages to beat you anyway!
No, being pregnant is not an automatic disqualifier for office. Wilkes doesn't have to sit in bed for the next nine months, and lots of women have kids while in office. However, the timing for her could not be worse. Assuming she's been pregnant for a month, she would be unable to campaign from July, and deliver around mid-September. Generally, women will take a good 6-8 weeks after birth to recover. That takes us right up to Election Day. Game Over...
We're just stating facts of how a campaign goes, and doing both will be impossible. Wilkes is very young, and she will have a great reason to have for NOT running in 2012 - much better than Viers. Not to give her any blame on this, but it's pretty apparent this was a surprise. No one runs for Congress one day, then gets pregnant the next. It's a tough break, but by Election Day, she will care less that she didn't run. Children do that to you...
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Matt Stafford Was a Fantasy Stud For Us, But Can He Beat Drew Brees and the Saints On the Road?
Since we'e in the prognosticating mood this week, it's time for one of our favorite times of the year - the NFL Playoffs! Time to sit back, grab a cold one, order a pizza, and enjoy the games.. Although judging by the last cholesterol report I got, I might need to skip the pizza..
Last year, we did not fair well, especially on Saturday. This year, there has been a lot of parity, where it seems that no lead is safe, and any team can be beaten - unless you're 15-1... But, we see some pretty easy matchups in Round One, so let's just get to the picks...
Cincinnati vs. Houston
Perhaps harder to pick than some games, neither team is on a particular roll.. The Bengals backed into the playoffs, and the Texans have lost their last three games. The Texans are banged up, with TJ Yates missing almost all of last week. But, they do have Andre Johnson back, though they only had less than 1 game together all year. The Bengals haven't lost to anyone they should have, but they didn't beat anyone they shouldn't have either. One of them was to Texas, but they had them beat, and let Yates get back in. The Bengals are healthier, and like a few first round games, the division winner is actually the weaker team. Bengals 24-20.
Detroit vs. New Orleans
OK, the first team to 50 points wins... or do they? If you like offense, have we got a game for you! Neither team plays D very well, and Matt Satfford and Drew Brees are at the top of their games right now. The Lions have a knack for coming back from huge leads, so no lead is safe - but New Orleans never lets off the gas pedal. The game is in the Superdome, where the Saints are almost unbeatable, but mainly the Saints secondary is better, and they have more weapons. Shut down Calvin Johnson, and give the ball to Darren Sproles enough, and it's a win. Saints 45-35.
Atlanta vs New York Giants
Yay, my G-Men made it into the playoffs, which is more than I thought they would... Luckily, the NFC East was pretty weak. Eli Manning is on a nice roll, and the D-line has finally found a pass rush. Sounds good, right? Well, the problem is Atlanta is built for New York. They're actually a better team than the Number One seed team from last year. They can run or pass, and Matt Ryan knows that he needs to start winning playoff games, not just get there. The real star will be Michael Turner, who will bowling ball his way to over 100 yards, and a TD or two.. Falcons 27-21.
Pittsburgh vs. Denver
For those of you who don't think the 80 points we're predicting in New Orleans is Football, we give you the antithesis... To us, this game is a no-brainer. But, Ben Roethlisberger is still hobbling, and Rashard Mendenhall is out. Denver's D will help keep them in the game, but the sad part for Bronco fans is that the NFL has figured out Tim Tebow. The miracles will cease, unless he learns how to drop back and pass, or roll right... Not this week. It'll be ugly, like a lot of Pittsburgh's wins this year. Steelers 17-6.
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No, We Don't Pick Winners.. We Just Pick the Best Guy
OK, all of you can stop laughing now. We've been watching the race and listening to the candidates intently. Maybe we have a little bit different perspective because most of the time, we listened on POTUS radio. We don't see the size of the crowds, or which media outlets were there - we just got to hear the messages. No, we don't go for the sexy endorsement, we just choose who we think would do the best job. To us, that's Jon Huntsman...
Why? There's a few reasons. He has by far the most well-rounded resume to be able to handle all aspects of being President. More importantly, while many candidates have said they will do certain things when President, but done others while in office, Huntsman has talked the talk, and walked the walk. He had the top job growth in Utah as Governor in the US. How? By implementing what we consider to be the easiest way to create job - the Flat Tax. It would be slightly different on the National Level, but he's the only one who's actually DONE IT.
He has that rare combination of expertise in both National and Global affairs... Numerous posts for both parties in various capacities. While most Republicans discarded Huntsman from the start because he worked for Barack Obama, here is our take.....which is smarter than theirs. Which way can you do more NOW to fix things that you might disagree with? Wait four years in a useless capacity, or do you take the opportunity to fix those things NOW, from the inside? Easy answer for us. We think Judd Gregg missed a golden opportunity to save America when he turned down the Cabinet job Obama offered in 2009.
Now, the big question is can Jon Huntsman beat Barack Obama? Maybe, but we'll tell you one thing: Huntsman can duel head to head with Obama in a debate. Why? Because he has such a grasp on the issues, and is very smooth in conveying that message. There is no searching for an answer, becuase he already knows in depth about whatever subject comes along - not in catch phrases, but in detail. Oh, and he can speak without stepping on his own words, unlike a few of the other guys..
It's true, we don't have a good track records for choosing winners, but that's not what we've ever gone for with endorsements. We ignore all the BS the Kool-Aid drinking camps spew out, and we go with our brain, limited though it be... You don't have to agree, and that's fine. Not many agreed with us when we chose Rudy 4 years ago. Huntsman may not even make it South Carolina if he places badly in New Hampshire. That's fine, we have a secondary choice in reserve. But for now, we're going with Jon Huntsman. Get past your biases that we worked for Obama, and that he's a Mormon. Big deal. The guy can do the job, and the Obama Administration is scared to death of debating him...
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Rick Santorum Moves to the Front, Michele Bachmann Is Out and Rick Perry Out Soon Also?
For once, we didn't actually do that bad with the prognostications. OK, we lost out on picking the Iowa Caucus on a handful or votes in at 300AM. BTW, nice job by that idiot precinct captain who forgot to send in or lost the votes. Luckily, both the Santorum and Romney camps confirmed the vote totals, or we'd still not know who won. Not that it mattered too much. It is just a caucus, not a general election. There is no doubt who won last night... Mitt Romney is in a lot of trouble... The good news for America is that Rick Santorum showed that retail politics still works. Perry spent $359 per vote, Romney $49 per vote. Santorum? How about 73 cents??? We shit you not. You can't do that nationally, but it gives hope for more local candidates...
The whole battle has been Mitt Romney vs ABM (anyone but Mitt)... That being the case, with five other 'real conservatives' going up against Romney, he should have won the caucus pretty handily. That didn't happen. Eight votes. That's it. How tight was it? The margin was 7 times less than those who voted for Herman Cain. It was 40 times less than those who voted 'No Preference'... Romney is perpetually stuck at 25%, so once the extra flies in the race start dropping, Santorum - if he sticks - can easily pass him.
Like most Iowa caucuses, they served their primary purpose of weeding out the wannabes. That's how it goes: Iowa knocks people out, New Hampshire does the opposite of Iowa, and South Carolina rights the GOP ship.... Michele Bachmann is jumping out of the race as we speak, which she should..She was supposed to be flying to South Carolina, but we're assuming her credit card bounced... Her assertion that she is the only one who can beat Obama is ridiculous, and her platform speeches were more like pep rallies. Bon Voyage! Rick Perry is likely to do the same, though he has more money. He's on his way back to Texas, where we assume he'll grab a podium in Austin and announce he's quitting too. Next time, maybe he'll realize he's not running for President of Texas. The US is getting sick of hearing 'How We Do It in Texas'....
Now, it's onto New Hampshire. All six are going (yes, Jon Huntsman is still in the race). It's a no-win situation for Romney. Like a 45 point football favorite, he is expected to win, and big. A ten point win will be considered a loss. Luckily, most of the field is staying, and they will still split the conservative vote. Ron Paul will pull in Independents, who are allowed to vote. Jon Huntsman did very much like Santorum in Iowa. He's set his flag there, but will it be enough? We think Newt Gingrich is on a vendetta at this point, and much like an Al-Qaeda bomber, his job is to be the Bad Cop, and take out Romney... It will cost him votes, but those votes, and those of Perry and Bachmann, will go 75% Santorum's way. We'll find out soon, once the polls start coming out....
For once, New Hampshire will be more interesting than it was the last time around. Mitt Romney has a real fight on it's hands. South Carolina will give the race more guidance, and it will knock out a few more candidates - but it will go well past it. Like Santorum said, 'GAME ON'....
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Romney's New Logo Gives Us That Fresh, Just-Brushed Kind of Feeling... Ahh, Minty Victory?
We're not sure exactly when it was intorduced, but only in the last day or two did we notice that Team Romney has a new logo.... Maybe all the signs in Iowa were retreads from 2008, but the new ones just caught our attention.... and they suck. Bigtime....
We can't take credit for noticing that it looks like AquaFresh toothpaste coming from the tube, but it's dead-on. We imagine there was a staffer who's job it was to update the Romney brand. There he was, in some hotel bathroom, brushing his teeth - and 'genius' struck! Or not....
The logo was the least of Romney's worries. It looked fine on a sign, unlike say, Gingrich, who was almost forced to put 'Newt' on his... 'R' is a good looking, strong letter. Now it's 'Omney' with toothpaste spooge to it's left - or maybe a sideways waving French flag. There's a good way to get America on your side....
There's a great saying: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Romney campaign may not be taking America by storm, but he's in front of a pack of competitors where EVERY one has had their shot - and couldn't pass him for more than a week.... Will it ruin the campaign? We doubt it, but doing stupid things, or looking stupid can. Ask Rick Perry.... That reminds us - we need to floss right now.
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Who's Gonna Take It Tonight? We'll Take a Guess..
Thank God, it's finally over ! All the talk, the debates, the polling and the unrealistic expectations are finished. In just a few hours, the Iowa Caucuses will take place.... We will at long last have a winner, and the rest of America will gte their chance.
Really, in the whole political scheme of things, Iowa is small potatoes. There will be over 2000 delegates awarded in the Primary/Caucus season. Iowa will give out 20 of them... Winning Iowa will not make or break any campaign - well, maybe one or two. It'll be just a small notch in the belt, but it does give the winning campaign a little cache'. Need an example? Who won the Nebraska primary in 2008. We rest our case....
So, who will win it? We believe in a couple things... The media always is a few days behind whatever is happening, and secondly, you go with the mover. Close to 40% of those planning to vote say they are not solid in their selection, though only 7% say they are undecided. A bit contradictory, but there is as much fluidity as any caucus ever.. To us, that is Rick Santorum. Call it luck, call it no one else being left, or call it brilliant strategy, but Santorum's timing is perfect. If he has people at the caucuses aggressively pushing for him tonight, he can take it - barely.
Mitt Romney has a good organization, as does Ron Paul, but both have maxed out, and Romney really still has not moved as the Tea Party/ Christian Conservatives seem to lack the monogamy in their politics as they preach in their lives otherwise. Just an observation.. Overall, it will be as tight as they say it will. Basically, it's a three way tie in the low to mid 20's for all three. For number four, Rick Perry has better organization that Newt Gingrich, and his people will deliver a decent 4th place. Michele Bachmann will be in serious trouble after a 6th place finish - just six months after winning the Straw Poll. She talked the talk, but there have been no solid plans that made anyone see her as a solid candidate...
Santorum 24%, Romney 23%, Paul 22%, Perry 13%, Gingrich 9%, Bachmann 7%, Huntsman 2%...
Yeah, it'll be a wash, where even the winner only gets five delegates. they usually say there are only three tickets from Iowa, but don't be surprised if all seven stay in for now.... So, where do they go from here? It'll sound strange, but Santorum, Romney and Paul should visit New Hampshire for a day or two, then get to South Carolina ASAP... Romney has it locked up, with Paul a pretty decent second. Santorum could sneak in third, but who's looking for third place finishes? As usual, The Palmetto State will be a major player in determining the GOP candidate.... as it should be.
What about the rest? Perry and Gingrich need to go to New Hampshire. Gingrich got close to Romney when he peaked, so to hold serve on second is a big deal for him. Perry has the cash and organization to possibly steal a second, which for him would be a big deal. Bachmann also needs to go to South Carolina, which she fully intends to do. I'm still getting e-mails daily from her, so even though everyone else sees the writing on the wall, she's still in denial. Jon Huntsman has put all his chits in New Hampshire. He's running a pretty distant 4th, and we're pretty sure it ends there....
We'll see how it goes, but it all starts tonight. Let's get it on !
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"Human government is more or less perfect as it approaches nearer or diverges farther from the imitation of this perfect plan of divine and moral government."
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John Adams, 1770.
No, there is no such thing as a perfect government, but the closer we get to a moral one, the more perfect it seems to be. We have a long way to go nowadays, but it does give us something to shoot for.... One thing that's just about perfect? Amber Heard.. We'd aim for that anytime!
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Just like all people involved in politics, the cartoonists mostly took the week off. Most of them were New Years Day related. We thought this was perhaps the best one. No doubt John Boehner had plenty to cry about - and couldn't wait to see 2011 end!
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