State of the race; Second look at GOP candidates

I'm working on an essay summing up my opinions on the current GOP field of candidates for the presidential nomination. I've given some candidates, including the presumed frontrunner, a second look.

I've come to the conclusion there are significant reassurances that must be forthcoming from all the candidates. And I have some advice for fellow conservatives who are going a bit hinky complaining about our candidates.

Look at the policy coming from our White House and tell me why you think we don't have a candidate in our field significantly better for our country than President Barack Obama.

More later, once an afternoon meeting concludes.

(Commentary by Kay B. Day)

Trifecta for Santorum: Main Street boosts the senator

Former Sen. Rick Santorum with wife Karen and his family. (photo from ricksantorum.com)Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum tucked a trifecta under his belt tonight, bringing out a surplus of voters to deliver victories in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado.

Some pundits on Fox mentioned more than once these were “beauty contests.”

That’s disingenuous—if they were only beauty contests, it’s even more impressive because a whole lot of people came out to cast a vote for him.

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Gingrich deals with personal attacks, fake email

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has certainly dealt with his share of personal attacks from supporters of his opponents. Now lies are being distributed in a fake email.

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Will South Carolina thin the GOP field?

South Carolina's natural beauty is indisputable. The Palmetto State, however, will be do-or-die for some candidates in the GOP Primary field. (View of Lake Murray by Kay B. Day)Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney now has wins in two states. Candidates are setting up shop in South Carolina, and that state’s GOP Primary will more than likely be a major factor in who stays in the race. Carolina will be the state where the field gets thinned I think.

Many media have pointed out that no other non-incumbent Republican candidate has won in both Iowa and New Hampshire since 1976.

Every time I hear 1976 mentioned in the context of Republican politics, I wonder why we’d want to remember that year.

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Schieffer’s take on ‘Non-Romney’ and conservatives typically uninformed

Dick Armey, founder of FreedomWorks and former House Majority Leader, explains Schumer's leak about IndyMac. Armey appropriately noted Schumer is a "walking, talking attention-getting device." (FreedomWorks video)

Bob Schieffer, who hosts the CBS program Face the Nation, thinks he has conservatives figured out.  Schieffer said that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will stay “in pretty good shape” until conservatives “coalesce” behind a candidate.

CBS News said:

Schieffer also doubted whether conservative voters would be able to unite behind one candidate. For example, he was dubious whether supporters of Texas Rep. Ron Paul could rally behind Santorum and vice versa.

Aside from the fact those statements aren’t exactly today’s news, they also suggest Schieffer is, like many members of the tribe we call liberal media, typically uninformed.

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Politico after ABC debate: GOP candidates ‘not worthy’ of ‘most talented journalists’

Speaker Gingrich spoke about media's bias towards religion and his remarks sparked the most defined applause of the evening. (Video from Newt Gingrich Campaign)

Journalists have never been known for humility, but Politico’s Roger Simon set a new standard for arrogance in an editorial penned after the GOP debate at St. Anselm College (N.H.).

Simon got carried away in the first paragraphs, starting with claiming the college was “packed with the most talented political journalists in America.”

Of course it was, and their approval rating with Main Street is lower than a debt collector’s.

Simon was wound up for sure. He wrote:

There are the old and wise heads, who have covered many of these presidential primary races and I shall not name out of deference to their tenuous hold on their careers.

Then he unleashed his inner leftist. Simon asked if the GOP field “is worthy of the press that covers them.”

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Gingrich under assault ahead of Iowa Caucus

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is under assault right now, not only in Iowa on the eve of the nation’s first presidential caucus. Gingrich is under assault wherever the airwaves reach. Over the holiday weekend here in Florida, attack ads repeatedly aired with Gingrich as target.

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