Monday, November 21, 2011

Beret Bets Bob Backs...

Rick Santorum. It was always between Santorum and Bachmann, after the rollout of the flawed Purity Pledge or whatever the hell it was called.

Why Santorum instead of Bachmann (which would have made for a quintuple alliterative headline)? Because Mr. famIly leader is all about being the kingmaker. Bachmann has had her moment, and what's less important than her fade is that there are too many other people who can claim credit if she makes a comeback. Santorum is the only Iowa-contesting candidate who hasn't been a flavor of the month, so if he gets lucky at the last minute and that 99 county strategy pays off, BVP thinks he can claim it was all his doing.

As for non-Iowa contesting candidates, anyone else catch the real Jon Huntsman on SNL this weekend? He was OK on Weekend Update, but he was definitely upstaged by Kermit The Frog.

Back in Des Moines, Rahm Emanuel kept the focus on just one Republican, devoting a big chunk of his Jefferson-Jackson speech to Mitt Romney, but not mentioning. any. other. Republican. even. once. (I missed out in person, and tuned in on CSPAN just as Rahm started, so I'm sure the other speakers got in a few zingers at the rest of the field.)

A touchdown dance for Dems today: Liz Mathis officially becomes Senator Liz Mathis at a 5 p.m. swearing in at Ohnward Bank and Trust in Marion. Also in the Iowa Senate, Brad Zaun takes time away from the Bachmann campaign to announce for re-election in Iowa Senate District 20, which moves out toward the suburbs and is better GOP turf for the one-time congressional candidate.

More thoughs on the death of Iowa Independent (as of this morning: 404) from Bleeding Heartland and me at the Register.

Paul Krugman on why the failure of the supercommittee is good: "You see, admitting that one side is willing to make concessions, while the other isn’t, would tarnish one’s centrist credentials. And the result is that the G.O.P. pays no price for refusing to give an inch. "

No comments: