Rules May, or May Not Impede Another Candidate to Head the IMF, Guard Dog Won’t Have to Pay Extra Taxes, Mitt Romney Gets a Bad Break . . .

And Other News That Needs Commenting On

Stanley Fischer of Israel has declared his candidacy to head the IMF and replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn..  Mr. Fischer is considered highly qualified, but is 67 and IMF rules state the Managing Director must be 65 or younger.  Of course, given recent revelations, The Dismal Political Economist is not certain rules mean much at the IMF.

The New York Times has a story about a guard dog that cost $230,000 and “who commutes by private jet between a Minnesota estate and a home in Arizona”.  The dog was quoted as saying he was grateful that at a cost of only $230,000 he would not have to pay the extra taxes President Obama wants imposed on those making more than $250,000.

The Dismal Political Economist had said it was going to get bumpy for Republican front runner Mitt Romney, and one day later it did.  The Boston Globe reports that Mr. Romney is the leader in the polls in the New Hampshire primary with 41% favoring him, and no other challenger is double digits.  This means Mr. Romney becomes a target, front and center for the next 7 or 8 months, and that he has no place to go but down. 

He is in a lose-lose-lose-lose situation in the state. (yes, 4 “loses”).  (1) If he wins it will be expected and heavily discounted, (2) if his support drops it will be said his campaign is faltering; (3) if he does not win by a wide margin it will be viewed as a major defeat; and (4) if he does lose his campaign is almost certain to be over.. 

Jon Huntsman, the media darling, is at 3% in the polls. (most Media darlings do not do well for a long time, if ever).  If he goes to 6% and takes that 3% away from Mr. Romney, so the race is 38% Romney, 6% Huntsman,  look for political headlines saying “Huntsman Doubles Support While Romney Fades”.  Yes, that’s the way the Media works.

Keith Olbermann returns to TV Monday with a new Countdown show, which apparently will be much like his old Countdown show except hardly anyone gets the Current TV cable network the show will be on, and those that do don’t know that they do. We always enjoyed at least part of his show, although why he thinks anyone wants to watch him sit and read James Thurber is beyond us.  The joy of Thurber is for us to sit and read him, not watch someone else.

We wish Mr. Olbermann well, and offer this advice.  “Just because you think you are the smartest person in the room or really are the smartest person in the room does not mean the rest of the people in the room want to know that”.  Good luck and good night Keith.

The LA Times has a nice story on the potential impact of taking re-districting in California out of the hands of politicians who used the process to protect incumbents, and giving the authority to a Citizen’s group who used the process to generate good government.  Although results will not be known until after the 2012 election, the process is off to a good start.

“Between now and next year's elections, Republicans must scramble to reinvent themselves, recruit more moderate candidates and find common ground with more Californians if they are to be at all relevant in Golden State politics, according to independent experts and partisan analysts alike.”

Gosh, not only might the process achieve its intended goals, but it might help Republicans in the state in spite of themselves.

On Fox News Tim Pawlenty made a very bad joke, bad as in not funny (we will let you read it here rather than repeat it) but the real news of the show was when he said

We need serious people with serious ideas, real solutions, real experience and a record of getting it done. So if you want the clown-in-chief, vote for somebody else.

and Sarah Palin tweeted, “Wow, another invitation for me to get into the race.”