There are about ten more important items on the ground in New Hampshire that are significantly more important than Mitt's win.Now, if you know New Hampshire, land of a billion Dunkin' Donuts, there are some pretty wacky rules to the primary. You don't have to be an actual Republican. You can be an Independent and still vote in the Republican Primary. Which kind of allows the competition to pick their competition. It's a wacky way to run the Pepsi Challenge. And... if you get on the right bus in the wrong state, but tell the pollster that you intend to buy vacation property there in the next year, you can vote in the primary. That's somewhat important when discussing Hillary's numbers in 2008, and also Mitt's in 2012. But that's just conjecture. I don't have proof of this, merely whispers in the smoke filled back corners of reality.
Here's what's more important that Mitt's second win:
First up, Ron Paul takes number two. Not Rick or Newt or John Huntsman who completely avoided Iowa to make a showing in New Hampshire. Huntsman placed third, and now he thinks he's a viable contender. He said, "“a third place finish is a ticket to ride” Fine. Just remember, John - Third rhymes with something that is rather unpleasant to step in. PS- John, the less Mandarin you speak at debates the better. Folks don't want to think that you'd be a servant to the Chinese. You don't want to be 'a Manchurian Candidate.' Google it sometime, John.
Back to Ron Paul: What's more important about Paul is that he's still in it - he's knocking on the third plank in the party platform and forcing the discussion of the Fed, debt, and rattling the status quo that the rest of the candidates seem to still be talking about, for some reason? Ron's ascendancy from 5 (NH 2008) to 2 (NH last night) means that people are listening, and they like what they hear. And they're voting for him. Unfortunately, many of the pundits seem to see this as good for Romney, and not anyone else. The media still continues to brand him as un-electable - even though he beat Obama in a recent Harris poll. Funny thing with that poll - none of the other Republican offerings beat Obama.
Second: Gingrich and Santorum have taken off their gloves with Romney and hit him pretty hard in the gut in between the two confetti and balloon drops. Newt and Rick have opened up an "anti-capitalist" rant against Mitt. Which, is so hypocritical and anti-Republican, it can only be compared to Michael Moore in Zuccotti Park to sell his new book. And to pile it on Mitt opened his mouth for his first real gaff of this campaign and said he, "likes firing people" ...when talking about folks having the right to chose their insurance companies when they give crap service. Of course that's the sound bite everyone was looking for -- and that's when Romney's Venture Capital company came into play. Five months early, notes the Obama re-election team.
The third big take away is that the unemployment rate has gone down. It's stopped convulsing and the shock has subsided. Is it a trend, or just a December holiday blip - TBD. Some might mention it's a long steady road for the levels the US enjoyed in 2008. Others would say that the trouble in the EuroZone and Iran have yet to cool off. However, if Romney or Paul are going to be successful against Obama - they better watch that ticker pretty closely, and sad to say, need it to stay kind of on the high end. Mitt's already re-imagineered his message from "There's no recovery until there's change in the White House," to "Sure there's a little movement, but Obama had nothing to do with it... it's like a rooster taking credit for the sun rising." Cute, but if unemployment falls, and Obama's approval ratings go up - the whole candidacy of Mitt Romney hits a brick in the roller rink.
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