The LuLac Edition #1974, March 7th, 2012

Super Tuesday Decision logo.


Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio but maybe Washington State.

SCRAMBLED EGGS

The Super Tuesday results were not a grand omelet or Eggs Benedict, it turned into a big old plate of scrambled eggs. The GOP race is still as messy as ever with the results we can report at shortly after midnight.
Newt Gingrich won one state, Georgia.
Mitt Romney won Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, Idaho and Wyoming.
Rick Santorum won Tennessee, North Dakota and Oklahoma.
Ohio was too close to call but it appears Romney will squeak by with a close win. Alaska will report in later on in the morning.
Ron Paul is fast becoming the asterisk candidate in this race.
So, here’s my analysis:
Gingrich: One state, his own, not unexpected. He won’t do this but he should head out. He has the perfect out, support of his adopted home state but he won’t use it.
Paul: He should go too but he won’t. He is this year’s Jerry Brown of 1992. The eventual nominee should give him an opportunity to speak at the convention.
Santorum: He is fast becoming the Superman of this race. Speeding bullets or his own creepy words on conception can’t do him in. He won in Tennessee which Romney wanted very badly. Tennessee is not a Catholic state but Santorum carried it. Oklahoma, right next to Texas gives Santorum an inroad in the west. Back in late 2011, that seemed impossible. Santorum won in North Dakota too. This state is significant because it expands Santorum’s wins, west, east, south and north. Santorum has done very well in Ohio and is within striking distance. Santorum has won these states with less money, less organization and less manpower than Romney. But he has a passionate base of people and is finding his voice on how to attack Romney on health care.
Romney: He won his home state Massachusetts, and Vermont which is his home region. He won Idaho and Wyoming where he spent some money. He won Virginia where he was one of two on the ballot because Gingrich and Santorum didn’t have the organization to get enough signatures.
Where do we stand as a result of Super Tuesday? It is evident that either Santorum or Gingrich has to get out. When the history of this day is written, Super Tuesday 2012 will be a primary of performance and perception.
Performance to Romney. He won more states than Santorum, and about 53% of the delegates. On paper his performance was not bad. He won where he was expected to win.
Perception to Santorum. He beat Romney by bigger margins in Tennessee, Oklahoma and North Dakota. In Ohio, outspent and out organized, he is within striking distance of 10,000 votes. It looks like Romney will win this. There is 95% of the vote in and Romney will take it. But it will be close. And front runners shouldn’t do close. UPDATE: ROMNEY WON OHIO. The perception primary was won by Santorum, even in losing Ohio. One more point: Performance: Romney won 34 Ohio delegates. Perception: Santorum, won 21.
Romney seems to be limping toward the nomination. Santorum is on his tail and will start attacking Romney on Health Care. Some big shot Republicans should get these guys together and do the inevitable right now instead of waiting till the summer. Romney-Santorum. Or if Newt drops out and Santorum wins Alabama and Mississippi, Santorum-Romney. Wrap it up now. They won’t but hey, I tried.

KUCINICH GONE

Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur defeated fellow Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich in the 9th District, a loss that will likely bring the longtime liberal congressman’s Capitol Hill career to an end. The Kaptur vs. Kucinich race marked the first member vs. member clash of the 2012 election season. After the Republican-led redistricting process came to a conclusion in Ohio, Kaptur and Kucinich, who for years were allies, found themselves drawn into the same northeast Ohio district.
The race pitted two veteran Ohio pols against each other. Kaptur, a 15-term member of the House Appropriations Committee, is the longest-serving female in the House. Kucinich, a former Cleveland mayor who was elected in 1996, has a political career that stretches back to 1969, when he was elected to the Cleveland City Council.
The contest turned nasty — and personal. Kaptur accused Kucinich, who waged two unsuccessful presidential bids, of focusing on building his national profile and ditching northeast Ohio. She also slammed Kucinich for making forays into Washington state, where last year he was reportedly considering whether to relocate and launch a 2012 reelection bid. Kucinich, who has long opposed military spending, bashed Kaptur for voting to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kaptur had been widely considered the favorite in the race because she had previously represented more of the newly-drawn 9th District, which stretched from Toledo to Cleveland. In waging her bid, Kaptur sought to make inroads in Kucinich’s Cleveland base, traveling from her Toledo home to campaign in the city that was the launching pad for the congressman’s political career. During the final weeks of the race, Kucinich, who boasts a national following, attracted a series of celebrities and prominent liberals to campaign on his behalf. Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons stumped with him in the new district. Former Florida Rep. Alan Grayson raised money for him. He won an endorsement from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kucinich had long been seen as a likely casualty of redistricting. With Ohio losing two seats in line-drawing, the Ohio Democrat began alerting supporters over a year ago that Republicans were likely to target him. But Politico.com reports it may not be over for Kucinich. Kucinich has been traveling to Washington State where there is a Congressional seat open there. He has until mid May to file for the primary there. Kucinich is weighing his options and presumably is being consoled by his very tall, young and beautiful red haired wife. Hey when you get lemons you make lemonade.
Source: Politico.com/Cleveland Plain Dealer/LuLac Letter