Can Mitt Romney Get Any Luckier, Mr. Perry is Failing a Test, Democratic Sen. Nelson is Changing Campaign Finance Rules . . .

And Other Political News That Needs Commentary

The campaign for the Presidential nomination by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney took another turn for the better as he was labeled a “non- Conservative by radical radio host Rush Limbaugh

"Romney is not a conservative. He's not, folks. You can argue with me all day long on that, but he isn't... This isn't personal, not with what country faces and so forth. I like him very much. I've spent some social time with him. He's a fine guy. He's very nice gentleman. He is a gentleman. But he's not a conservative."

Mr. Limbaugh is not likely to have any sway with Republican voters, and now that Rick Perry is polling so low the alternative to Mr. Romney of Herman Cain while possible is certainly not probable.  So Mr. Romney can continue to burnish his “moderate” credentials for appeal in the general election, making him the most likely to be able to defeat Mr. Obama and drawing Republican voters for whom that is the primary goal.

The wife of Texas Gov. Rick Perry asserts several amazing things.  First of all she blames his problems on the fact that he is a deeply religious Christian and that the attacks are coming against him because of his religion.

So much of that is, I think they look at him, because of his faith. He is the only true conservative – well, there are some true conservatives

 Apparently she is unaware of the irony of this argument when one of her husbands biggest supporters has derisively and offensively attacked Mr. Romney’s religion and Mr. Perry has refused to condemn that individual.  She also believes that God has called on Mr. Perry to run

they may feel like God called them too. But I truly feel like we are here for that purpose

But God must not have wanted Mr. Perry to run in Florida, where his once strong lead has now changed into a 5% level. She also said

"Last week, someone came up to Rick and gave him the scripture. He said Rick, I want to tell you God is testing you," she said.

which everyone hopes is not the case since at this point in time Mr. Perry is not even getting a gentleman’s C.  Failing a test from the Almighty cannot be a good thing for anyone.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is, according to a report is headed for a landslide win.

A new Clarus Research poll in Louisiana shows Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) essentially unopposed for re-election with 57% and Tara Hollis (D) the next closest challenger at just 5%. Another 29% are undecided.

Yes, that is what happens when you are running essentially unopposed, you win in a landslide.

Campaign ads by independent groups are supposed to be independent of the candidate’s campaign.  In Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, a Democrat is testing that issue by having an independent Democratic group produce campaign ads where the production has involved the candidate.

The Nebraska ads, which have cost Democrats more than $600,000 to run so far, could change that practice in a way that has wide implications for the 2012 elections, when 33 Senate seats and all 435 House seats will be up for grabs.

One concern is that this practice could eliminate the “phony” wall between candidates and independent groups, but that wall is so porous that nothing will make any difference.  The U. S. is headed towards a system where unlimited, anonymous campaign ads by outside groups will be a major part of a candidate’s campaign.  The actions by Sen. Nelson, while deplorable are just one step along that journey.

Now that Herman Cain has been anointed by polls and the press as a serious candidate for the Republican nomination (just picture the cringes on the faces of Michele Bachmann and Newt Gingrich on reading that statement) his tax plan is coming under examination.   It turns out the genesis of the plan was from this man.

In developing it, Mr. Cain relied heavily on Rich Lowrie, whom he calls his lead economist. Mr. Lowrie is an investment adviser at a Wells Fargo office in Pepper Pike, Ohio. Although he is an unpaid member of an advisory board of the American Conservative Union, he has never worked for a policy research group or an academic institution, or made a name through economic analysis.

In an interview, Mr. Lowrie said he had a bachelor of science degree in accountancy from Case Western Reserve University. On his Facebook page, he describes his political views as “free markets.”

Well that’s just about what anyone would have expected.  If Mr. Cain ultimately does a “Perry” or a “Bachmann” (those are terms for a rapid rise to the top in polls followed by a close examination of the candidate resulting in a rapid fall to the bottom), his 9-9-9 Plan will likely be the cause.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is doing so poorly in the Presidential Nomination contest that one commentator is wondering if Mr. Perry even wants the nomination.

Does Rick Perry even want to leave Texas?

He didn’t seem so sure at this latest debate, hanging back when he needed to press forward and deferring when he needed to dominate. He’s fallen so far so fast — 20 percentage points since he got into the race two months ago — that Mitt Romney’s team is now serving him the ultimate insult: It no longer bothers talking him down.

Perry’s other rivals have also gone from ganging up on him to treating him like any other second-tier candidate. So is the three-time Texas governor having any second thoughts about his second thoughts?

The most likely explanation is that Mr. Perry expected the nomination to be handed to him, particularly after he rose to the top in the polls right after he announced.  Now that he is having to work for it, well, Mr. Perry is not quite so enamored with the job.  Mitt Romney has been running for almost a decade, non-stop.  That’s the type of effort it takes Mr. Perry, everyone thought you knew that.