Strategy

Rick Perry has surged way ahead in the latest poll of likely Republican primary voters, just days after he announced his candidacy. A Rasmussen poll gave him 29% to Romney's 18% and Bachmann's 13%. Paul trailed in 4th place at 9%, Cain at 6%, and Gingrich at 5%.

Of course, Perry is the flavor of the week; his popularity is probably based more on hopes and magical expectations than substance. Paul Rasmussen cautioned about the significance of these results: "It’s much easier winning support when people are hoping you will get in the race, than retaining support when you are the frontrunner.”

So what's Peery's strategy? Here's my take:

He's concentrating first on knocking Bachmann off. Hence his (1) claiming he would not have signed the debt ceiling bill; (2) coming up with the novel "solution" to the Mexican border problem by using predator drones to hunt down border-jumpers; (3) suggesting to Texans who were fed up with the federal government that secession was an option; (4) floating the idea that the Gulf oil spill might have been an act of God rather than corporate malfeasance; (5) saying he doesn't believe in climate change and that scientists have manipulated the data that change proponents quote.

That's a pretty good start on moving into her territory. He does even better with Tea Party voters, Bachmann's territory: 39% to her 21%.

But how is he going to pivot from claiming the Tea Party crowd to knocking off Romney? In the same poll, he barely leads Romney among non-Tea Party Republicans, 27% to 24%. And then, if he should get the nomination, how does he stack up against Obama? Then he will need the independent vote as well as all the Republicans.

Thinking about this is tolerable to me, because I like politics as a spectator sport -- totally beyond the substance of the issues. But, when I stop and think about the sorry state of the Republican field, it is mighty disgusting.

And we thought they had scraped the bottom of the barrel when they gave us (forced on us) George W. Bush.

Ralph