THE DAILY BLADE: Raising Cain in SC
The first debate of the Republican presidential primary campaign took place in Greenville, SC last night between five candidates who can charitably be thought of as “second string”: former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain, former Gov. Gary Johnson (R-NM), Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA).
Cain, who is now a radio talk show host, took a page from former AR Gov. Mike Huckabee’s playbook made his mark with a wisecrack that brought the house down. When asked about his lack of political experience, Cain quipped: “Most of the people in elective office in Washington, D.C., they have held public office before. How's that working for you?”
The Washington Times reports that a FOX News Channel focus group of 29 SC voters assembled by pollster Frank Luntz thought Cain won the debate:
When he asked the audience who they backed, the vast majority immediately shot their hands up when Mr. Cain, the first of the candidates alphabetically, was mentioned. Mr. Luntz never went on the other candidates. Only one person said he went into the debate backing Mr. Cain.
"I have never heard this kind of reaction until tonight ... something very special happened this evening," Mr. Luntz said.
Among the quick comments the unidentified voters made about Mr. Cain were "he answered the questions most directly," "honest, does not talk like a politician," and "he can attack Obama well."
Santorum forcefully defined himself as an unabashed conservative. Just as Huckabee went after Paul on the Iraq War during the debate that propelled him into the first-tier (third item) in 2007, Santorum didn’t let Paul get away with claiming that “you don't achieve anything” by waterboarding, retorting: "Well that's just simply not true, Ron. I mean the fact is that some of this information that we have found out that led to Usama bin Laden actually came from these enhanced interrogation techniques."
And when asked to comment on potential (and absentee) rival Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN) proposal for a truce on social issues in a time of economic crisis, Santorum unequivocally stated, “Anybody who would suggest we call a truce on moral issues doesn’t understand what America’s all about.”
In comparison, Pawlenty was a milquetoast. He sidestepped the chance to criticize former MA Gov. Mitt Romney’s troubled universal healthcare plan, saying, “Gov. Romney’s not here to defend himself, so I’m not going to pick on him.”
And asked how his prospects would be affected should potential (and also absentee) rival Huckabee enter the race, Pawlenty gushed: “I love the Huck. I know him. He’s a good colleague of mine, [but] as I get better known, I’m getting more and more support and I think the momentum is on my side.”
Similarly, Johnson could not grab the spotlight from fellow libertarian Paul and at one point was reduced to imploring the moderators to throw a question his way every so often (“There have been something like nine questions for all these guys and none for me”).
For his part, Paul bizarrely described heroin use and whoremongering as First Amendment rights. When Chris Wallace asked, “Are you suggesting that heroin and prostitution are an exercise of liberty?,” he impersonated a junkie while making his case for legalizing heroin, much to the delight of his supporters in the audience (2:05 into this clip):
In comparison, Johnson’s dry “cost-benefit analysis” of the war on drugs (“half of what we spend on law enforcement, the courts, and the prisons is drug-related”) left the audience cold.
If the debate followed the same rules as NBC’s new singing competition “The Voice” with each successive debate, the number of contestants candidates would be halved as the weaklings are culled. After this round, The Stiletto would have permitted only Cain and Santorum to advance. Johnson was largely forgettable; Pawlenty was bland; and Paul was unhinged.
As The Washington Post observes, “[i]n a few months, what happened in Greenville … is likely to be a footnote in the Republican race. By the time of the next scheduled debate in New Hampshire in mid-June, the field could look radically different.” Though they did well last night, in the end Cain and Santorum may well be footnotes themselves after debating Huckabee, Romney and other high-profile candidates.
Editorial Note: Here is a highlights reel, courtesy of New York magazine.
Jacob, Isabella Most Popular Baby Names In 2010
In 2010 the name “Jacob” continued its 12-year streak as the most popular name for boys, while “Isabella” remained the most popular name for girls for the second straight year, The Associated Press reports:
Nearly 22,000 boys were named Jacob in 2010, followed by Ethan, Michael, Jayden and William. Nearly 23,000 girls were named Isabella, followed by Sophia, Emma, Olivia and Ava.
Names with different spellings were counted separately. For example, Aiden was No. 9 among boys, while Aidan was No. 94 and Aaden was No. 556. Among the girls, Chloe was No. 9 and Khloe was No. 42; Zoe was No. 31 and Zoey was No. 47.
Baby-naming experts said Americans are pulled by sometimes conflicting impulses when choosing names for their children. They gravitate toward the popular, wanting their child to fit in. But many also want their child's name to be unique, so they don't have to share it with four other kids in class at school. …
Many turn to the Bible for inspiration, while others turn to popular culture and, increasingly, reality TV.
Religious names have endured - and even received a new twist.
Nevaeh, which is 'heaven' spelled backward, debuted in 2001 at No. 266. It is now more popular than ever, reaching No. 25 in 2010. Heaven, by the way, dropped 52 spots to No. 324.
Popularity can be fleeting; just ask the first family. Both Malia and Sasha - the names of the Obamas' daughters - were fast risers in 2009, the year President Barack Obama took office. Both names, however, plunged in 2010, with Malia dropping 111 spots, to No. 302, and Sasha dropping 84 places, to No. 344.
BTW, since Michelle Obama became first lady the name “Michelle” has been dropping in popularity, from 94th in 2007 to 103rd in 2008 to 104th in 2009 and 125th in 2010. “Barack” is too exotic to ever have made the list of the top 1,000 names, and the waning popularity of the more common name "Michelle" may have political significance - perhaps suggesting that the POTUS and FLOTUS are wearing out their welcome.
Comments