Christmas Coming Early for Democrats?

When Rick Santorum announced his candidacy, like a lot of progressives, I was stunned.

In 2006, I watched his spectacular flame-out, losing to Bob Casey by 19 points.  His bigoted comments conflating homosexuality with bestiality fresh in the public's ears.  Santorum's downfall was emblematic of voter disgust with a republican party run amok.

A mere six years later, Santorum is not only running for the GOP presidential nomination, he's winning.  Moreover he's doing it running on a platform of toxic social issues.

Understandably, the establishment is doing everything it can to submarine Santorum.  Romney has the biggest war chest fueled by mountains of super PAC cash.  As Chris Matthews recently said, Romney will "carpet bomb" Santorum with negative advertising leading up to the Michigan primary.  So far his efforts have been for naught as Santorum continues to the lead in the polls.

As for democrats? We've been watching the show and laughing our asses off.

Last week on Hannity's carnival sideshow, Dick Morris called DHHS's new contraception rule a "hit job." If one works this through in their head, it begs the conclusion that Morris blames Obama for the right wing's working itself into a religious froth.

If it isn't true (and there is no evidence it is) then republicans have no one to blame but themselves for losing their minds and showing the country how virulently they still oppose women's reproductive rights.

If it is true, then Obama and the democrats deserve credit for playing republicans like a fiddle. Tossing this innocuous regulation out and letting the right go insane.  More brilliantly, it served to not only show how little republicans care about the economy, but also replaced their only viable candidate with someone epically unelectable.

Democratic strategists would LOVE to take credit for it.

The republicans toss aside jobs, the economy, and everything else voters care about in favor of the most poisonous fringe issue they could find.

Anyone know what the over/under is for an Obama/Santorum race?  Obama by 20 points? Put me down for the over.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I might leave cookies out for Santa this year. 

The GOP's Deafening Silence on the Economy

The last several weeks have been interesting, and quite entertaining.

Obama's DHHS announced that religious owned institutions, who employ and serve people regardless of their faith, will be required to provide contraception to employees via their health insurance plans for zero co-pay.

And the right wing goes berserk.

Not just a little nuts.  Full on, frothing at the mouth, end-of-times looney tunes.

Rick Santorum is propelled to victory in three consecutive primaries.  Santorum, Mittens, Newt, Fox News and AM hate radio all trumpet this ridiculous (and non existent) "War on Christianity."

I don't really blame them.  They have to do this to placate their base. Their tired narrative demands that Obama be portrayed as a  liberal ubermensch, an  arch secularist who deflowers virgins and dines on the unborn.  Big government, tax and spend and weak on defense are also required.

Obama has proven this laughably false with a 2013 budget that reduces the deficit by $400 billion in one year. He's pushed to extend payroll tax cuts.  He's made superlative use of the military in Libya and in taking out bin Laden and al Awlaki.

It leaves the right in a pickle.  It doesn't make a difference to Limbaugh, Hannity or their ilk, they'll lie right to your face.  Hannity said this week that if Obama had had his way, bin Laden would still be alive. This flies in the face of logic, reason, and sanity.

But anyway, Santorum, Romney and Gingrich have been hurling contraception red meat to the right wing base.  It's particularly funny that this brouhaha is being fueled not by Catholics themselves (58% support Obama's measure), but by their self appointed mouthpieces.  While the GOP has been busy demonizing the President over this IMO trivial matter, it's left a huge gap in the candidates' running narrative.

What about the economy?  What about jobs?  What about the housing market?  What about the debt and deficit republicans claimed were their real issues?

This is spookily reminiscent of Rachel Maddow's exposure of the Tea Party as the social conservative fanatics they are.  In 2010, they got elected on a platform of smaller government and lower taxes.  What voters got were 80+ anti abortion bills and open war against unions.

It's even more telling that this week Obama unveiled a $25 billion settlement with mortgage lenders to help ease the housing crisis.  Admittedly his jobs bill went nowhere but again, where were the republicans?

The GOP's contraception freak out combined with their utter silence on the economy paints a picture of a party woefully out of touch with the country.

But oh the steak tartar.