The Bench Jockeys » santorum http://thebenchjockeys.com Inspired Content, Buzzworthy Discussion and Critical Analysis at the Intersection of Sports & Politics Wed, 05 Dec 2018 21:19:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.29 And Then There Were 3 http://thebenchjockeys.com/2012/01/24/and-then-there-were-3/ http://thebenchjockeys.com/2012/01/24/and-then-there-were-3/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:33:26 +0000 http://thebenchjockeys.com/?p=1259 Besides being a great album by Genesis, only two primaries into the nomination process, all the fun is almost over.  Yes, I know that Rick Santorum is still technically in the GOP race, but let’s face facts; he is not going to emerge as the GOP’s 2012 nominee.  That is unless, of course, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney damage each other so badly with assertions and accusations that neither candidate is deemed electable by the party.  Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment is now a distant memory which is surprising since Gingrich uses every opportunity he gets to align his philosophies with those of The Great Communicator.  Gingrich’s goading forced Mitt to take the gloves off in Florida, and I will not be shocked if someone finds himself in a headlock during Florida Part Deux.  Mitt and Newt are making the President’s re-election campaign far too easy.  Painting each other as  the embodiment of all that is unholy and diabolical is not the way the Republicans are going to win in 2012.  Our updated Odds to win the GOP Nomination follow:

Candidate Opening odds to win GOP Last Current
Mitt Romney 7:2 3:2 5:2
Newt Gingrich 12:1 8:1 7:1
Ron Paul 9:1 30:1 12:1
Rick Santorum 1000:1 100:1 80:1

And now our newest feature… GOP Electoral Face-off odds vs. Obama.

The current count does not consider the impact of the GOP running mate or the potential VP switcheroo of Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton.

 

 

Candidate vs. Obama Electorial College Count
Mitt Romney Romney 142/ Obama 396
Newt Gingrich Gingrich 65/ Obama 473
Ron Paul Paul 78/ Obama 460
Rick Santorum Santorum 0/ Obama 538
]]> http://thebenchjockeys.com/2012/01/24/and-then-there-were-3/feed/ 3 2012 Facts http://thebenchjockeys.com/2012/01/10/2012-facts/ http://thebenchjockeys.com/2012/01/10/2012-facts/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:14:22 +0000 http://thebenchjockeys.com/?p=1248 Well, what have we learned in the last 24 hours:  Tigers can lay eggs; Caroline Wozniacki is still a hot property; and Ron Paul is not dead yet.  Let’s start with LSU, shall we?  The LSU Tigers are still trying to score a point in New Orleans.  The beating that ’Bama put on the LSU in the BCS National Championship Game was epic.  LSU managed just five first downs and 92 total yards on a night that was dominated by Alabama’s defense.  But that’s not the whole story.  LSU’s 53 yards of passing was offset by four sacks and resulting in a net passing game of 27 yards and total offense production of  66 yards.  Ouch!  The only folks who would deem that mess the ‘Game of the Century’ live in Tuscaloosa.

Issue 2.  Despite never having won a Grand Slam event, Caroline Wozniacki continues to retain the top rank in the WTA.  The Dane will again be designated as a number 1 seed as the first Slam event of the year – the Aussie Open – commences later this month.  Unfortunately, C-Woz has suffered premature exits over the course of the 2011 Grand Slam events:  Australian – ousted in the Semis; French – 3rd Round departure; Wimbledon – 4th Round loss; US – eliminated in the Semis, and aside from a 2009 US Open finals appearance, she continues to underwhelm in the majors.  Wozniacki does feast on the smaller venues, but Petra Kvitova is gaining ground and should slip past Wozniacki shortly.  Nevertheless, Caroline is the poster girl for women’s tennis and is already featured on the 2012 US Open promotional materials.

Third. Can Ron Paul win the GOP nomination?   In a word, “No.”  In spite of the 3rd place in Iowa and his 2nd place in NH, Ron Paul cannot beat Barack Obama if Paul were to be selected as the GOP’s candidate.  And the GOP strategists know it.  The good doctor’s second place finish in New Hampshire speaks more to the lack of a solid contender, than it does to the serious consideration of Paul’s candidacy.  It also is an indicator that the GOP is not ready to coalesce behind Romney.  Paul will stay in this race and carve off enough of a vote to keep Mitt’s other opponents at bay.  That’s great for Romney winning primaries but bad for both 1) the GOP which will continue to experience a lack of plurality for Mitt’s candidacy and 2) the remaining four candidates who will be unable to mount a challenge.

Jon Huntsman absolutely needed to top Ron Paul in New Hampshire, and even amid Huntsman’s claims that he is “in the hunt,” Big Bad Jon will likely be out between South Carolina on January 21st and Nevada on February 4th.  Perry must get a significant bounce out of the southern swing in SC and Florida or he will be next to cash in his chips.  Santorum’s second place finish in Iowa (or possibly victory in Iowa if you believe the conspiracy theorists) will allow him to get to Super Tuesday (March 6th) provided he is not taken to the woodshed in Florida on January 31st and does something in Arizona and Michigan on February 28th.

And that leaves Newt.  Aside from someone jumping into the fray before too many delegates are allocated, GOP faithful, Gingrich is your Plan B.

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