(Free Forum Fridays are an open discussion where commenters are invited to bring up topics that may not have been covered in the previous week. Got something on your mind? Throw your opinion out there.)
Doing FFF a day early since tomorrow will be a political Red Right Returning in advance of the South Carolina primary.
Rick Santorum wins Iowa.
Yep. The results are in and it appears that Santorum actually won by 34 votes. Which means it’s still a virtual tie but it does keep the record of no candidate ever winning both Iowa and New Hampshire intact. It also probably comes a little late to help Santorum in South Carolina and it casts an ominous shadow over the legitimacy of Iowa’s caucus system.
Rick Perry drops out.
Yep. Bound to happen sooner or later. I guess Newt Gingrich’s rally cry to consolidate behind him as the anti-Romney candidate had an effect since Perry has endorsed Newt.
Speaking of Gingrich, Mrs. Gingrich #2 has an interview tonight on ABC. I’m sure Newt is uncomfortable about that, particularly since he is experiencing a surge in the polls in South Carolina and tightening the gap between he and Romney.
Wisconsin recall efforts more than double.
Yep. They only needed 500,000 signatures to instigate a recall on Governor Scott Walker. They got over 1 million. Plus they got enough to recall the Lt. Governor and four additional Senators that they couldn’t go after last year due to recall rules requiring that Senators have to be in office for one year before such actions can be taken. Wisconsin continues to be a bellwether for other conflicts going on around the midwest in states like Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. They are also serving as a warning shot to Republican Governors in other states who may have planned to do similar things that Walker did.
Stephen Colbert enters South Carolina primary.
Well, sort of. He was too late to get on the ballot so he is encouraging voters to vote for Herman Cain, who is still on the ballot. It turns out that Cain is in on the joke. The two will hold a rally later today. The biggest loser in all this? Ron Paul. Paul was hoping to gain disaffected Democrats and independents in South Carolina’s open primary. Now they may flock to Cain (Colbert).
In other news, 538 Refugees participated in the Internet blackout protest against SOPA and PIPA, the Internet piracy bills being fast-tracked through Congress. We’ll have more to say about that after the South Carolina primary. Apologies if anyone was inconvenienced by the blackout but according to the stats, few people had trouble accessing the articles.
Italy continues to find more bodies of the missing from the passengers of the Italian cruise ship Costsa Concordia. The investigation into the Captain and crew continues as the Captain of the ill-fated vessel has become the most reviled man in Italy (much to Berlesconi’s relief) while the Coast Guard Commander who reprimanded him is becoming a folk hero. T-shirts with his command “Get back on board, dammit!” are becoming a popular rally cry.
What’s your take on all this? Leave a comment and discuss.
538 Refugees 