The Fog Clears, The Smog Remains

Let's give some credit to the Republican primary exercise and the debates without number we have been made to endure.

Thanks to the "process" we can be certain of Gingrich's views on food stamp fueled African Americans, open marriages and wives with medical problems. His trade mark snarl will forever live in our memories. And it's clear that Newt's pontificating resonates with a certain strain of voters. Newt manages to make the Pope speaking ex cathedra appear to have the gravitas of a Chinese fortune cookie pronouncement.  Look for Gingrich's next step into respectability: It's out with the "Newt" and in with the formidable Newton Leroy.

Romney has agreed to open his miserly tax payments up to public scrutiny. (I'm betting on less than a 15% rate payment. You don't run Bain for years and not come away with a suitcase full of good tax loophole tricks.)  Besides overcoming the stiffness of privilege, the main problem Romney has left to squarely face is (Thanks to Gail Collins's deep and thorough investigative reports.) why in the hell he insists on duck taping (or something) his dog to the roof of his car when he goes on family vacations.  I'm NOT saying it's a Mormon thing.

Also achieved, Cain, Bachmann, Huntsman and Perry, the low lying vegetation in the Republican's wide and wild weed patch, have been unceremoniously removed from the Republican base's riddled thoughts. True, this means the loss of some comic relief, but the politicos on the Right see smiles as akin to going off message. Such responses reveal weakness in their stern Crusade against the Obama apocalypse.

And now we see that Trickster Santorum will go with those sweater vests and playing his "holier than thou" card to the bitter end. Or at least until he can make a deal with the clear front-runner. He stares out at diminishing crowds and dreams of getting a Veep deal, ideally running next to the uber rich guy with all those kids. "Bain Rhymes with Pain" Romney is just the kind of guy the Rickster learned to serve so well in Congress.  And speaking of potential Veeps, wouldn't Cain be the logical choice on a Gingrich ticket?  They both like pizza, have similar views on unemployed black people, and respect women--exactly in that order.

Ron Paul is an honorable man hobbled by a deplorable, dated and sclerotic ideology. He will survive to the end in hopes of influencing a meaningless Republican Platform document. The stalwarts of the Republican party laugh behind his back. As they see it, who needs a platform when you can attack the "liberal" media, the socialist Obama, and Greece's retirement program?

Not to be ignored in this review, the candidate for President of South Carolina, Stephen Colbert, has thrown egg in the faces of the Supreme Court Justices who further enabled corporate money and bloated plutocrats to run wildly through the veins of democracy in their "Citizens United" ruling.  Hopefully his Super PAC will live on beyond the primary results in the Palmetto State, home to slavery, Strom Thurmond and a wide variety of racist nuts.

Finally, who can wait for the counting of votes in FLORIDA?  No one can seriously think that Iowa will be allowed to get away with their distinctly minor league, vote counting incompetence. Personally, I'm confident  Florida has the experience to hold on to their title of Poll Prank Powerhouse.