I’m trying to find more creative and interesting ways to describe the Republican primaries other than “circus,” “sideshow” or “joke”.  There’s really not much else I can say about this race because I feel like none of the candidates are really serious contenders.  If anybody from the GOP were to win this fall it would be due to an overwhelming disdain for President Obama, not anything they said or did.

That being said, if you really think Newt Gingrich is a threat to win the GOP, you really must think little of the American voters.  This is a man who cited the success of the Star Wars movies as “evidence” that space exploration was a critical issue the Republicans should get behind to garner support.  This is the same man who was asked to step down as Speaker of the House due to ethical violations he committed.

Let’s not forget that Newt is a southern guy.  Romney and Santorum are from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, respectively.  While Romney has been the only consistent front-runner in this primary, he’s also the most liberal candidate, which will make it difficult for him in the southern states.  I’m not surprised Romney didn’t win, but it did surprise me that Newt won.  I thought Santorum was the clear “other guy” in the race against Romney, but apparently the people of South Carolina saw something in Gingrich that I don’t.  Then again, South Carolina has traditionally been one of the most conservative states in the country.

In the long run, I don’t think this will matter too much.  Nobody in this race has the financial backing and organizational strength to go head-to-head with Mitt Romney.  As long as Santorum and Paul can hang in there and soak up some of the hate, Romney should have no problem winning this.  His only concern should be that as candidates drop out of the race, that allows for more anti-Romney propaganda to circulate and chip away at his prestige.

To me, this is like choosing between the electric chair and lethal injection.  Either one you go with, the result is still bad.  I don’t think that any of these candidates are strong enough to take on President Obama and that’s the best thing that could have happened for the incumbent.