Stupor Wednesday

Note to Self: In 2016, when you make coffee at 5:30 on Super Tuesday, please make sure you have coffee grounds for Wednesday morning, or at least drag your lazy duff to the store before the polls close and you are locked onto your TV screen. Continuing to reach new heights of stupidity...

Note to Chuck Todd: Mr. Todd, I say this with an unblemished record of staunch heterosexuality....God, I love you! No one breaks it down for us political junkies better than Chuck Todd. No one. Period. From county-by-county analysis and “what-to-watch-fors” to delegate math to overarching trends, he is simply the best. Bar none. He raises the enjoyment of my favorite quadrennial event exponentially.

The math race versus the perception race: Another great point raised by Chuck Todd. Exit polls, particularly in Ohio, bear this out. While Romney continues to rack up delegates, which is how one secures the nomination, he still can't seem to beat the perception problem. He won the popular vote in Ohio, and accumulated more delegates (yes, Team Santorum blew it for themselves in 3 counties), yet exit polls show that the nominee with whom Ohio GOPers would be most comfortable is Rick Santorum. I think this speaks less to voter schizophrenia than it does to Mitt's connection problem. Over and over, Romney fails to connect with voters in a meaningful way; every attempt to show that he is just like you and me rings hollow and comes across as shameless pandering. Apparently all that snobbish higher education never taught Romney the Shakespearean maxim, “to thine own self be true.”

Given the math problem for Santorum, will Romney's perception problem seriously hurt him in the race to secure the nomination? I'll go out on a limb and say, “perhaps.” I understand that Santorum would have to secure roughly 60-70% of the remaining delegates, depending on how things play out, in order to get the nomination. I understand the obstacles to achieving that. However, I would point out that delegate math is more a reflection of where we are today, and where we have been. Today is a long time ago in politics. If Santorum were smart (insert groan here), he would lay off the social conservative rhetoric (those folks will continue to support him), and focus on the blue-collar image/message. He has done well with this before, and would be well advised to hammer Romney as an out-of-touch 1%er. Most importantly, he needs to beat the drum regarding Romneycare/Obamacare on a daily basis. If he were to do that, and if Gingrich were to exit the race (see below), things could break differently. Momentum is always a huge factor in electoral politics, particularly in the 2012 GOP primaries.

Newton's Law: Word is that Santorum's surrogates will urge GOP leaders to pressure Gingrich to leave the race. Good luck with that. I suspect Newt will be around at least through the contests in Alabama and Mississippi. Most importantly, the decision to withdraw is not Newt's to make, it's Sheldon Adelson's. Newt has no rationale to continue other than his ego. When and if Adelson lowers the boom, Newt will have no meaningful financial backing.

Know your history: Dear GOP: I know you don't want to admit that the divisiveness and nastiness in your primaries will hurt you as you go forward, but don't try to minimize it by citing the 2008 Democratic primary battle. It's true that the battle ran long and late, but it was nothing like your current kumbaya fest. Yes, Obama had his "she's likable enough" line about Hillary, and yes, Hillary ran those 3AM phone call spots, but please stop insulting my intelligence, and displaying your lack of same. We know George Bush had absolutely no knowledge or understanding of history; is that the benchmark to which you aspire?

Girl got game: With all due apologies to Elvis Presley and Rob Bartlett...”I'm in love...with S.E. Cupp...uh huh huh...hey hey...yeah yeah!” Brains and beauty rolled into one package. Keep bringing it.

Vermont: I love Vermont. I mean, I really love Vermont. I married a Vermonter. But Vermont, you baffle me. You lead the fight to overturn Citizens United, and Santorum gets nearly 24% in the GOP primary? Were New Hampshirites allowed to vote in your primary?

What I learned this morning on Morning Joe: You can't put on enough TV make-up to hide the redness on Steve Schmidt's face when they played the clip from “Game Change” showing the “who vetted her?” scene. I feel for you, man.