A Good Enough Night for Mitt

1. It looks like Romney’s win is going to be double-digit but not overwhelming. Illinois, after all, is a very suburban and not all that evangelical a state. Very low turnout. Santorum did a bit worse in every demographic category than he did in Ohio. Most notably, Romney had a significantly bigger win than ever with the Catholics. If Illinois didn’t allow them to vote, Santorum might have carried the day. Santorum and Romney split the late deciders; it was a big mo’ win for Mitt.

2. Gingrich will likely finish in single digits behind Ron Paul. The rumor is Newt will drop out soon. Studies show that his vote will more or less split between Romney and Sanstorum. That means, of course, no brokered convention for sure. That also means no more rooting for Santorum but not for Santorum’s sake.

3. I agree with Pete that Santorum is regressing or certainly not progressing. It’s been a long time since he’s said anything noteworthy in a good way. I agree with Pete that fearing for (well, he finally said he wasn’t actually scared that our Secret Service would screw up) the president’s daughter’s safety on her Mexican vacation on THE GLENN BECK show might be a new low even for Rick.

4. If a candidate has popularity, honor, or (aristocratic) class, we don’t care about his (big) money. What we don’t like is that Romney made his own big money, isn’t classy, and lacks ingratiating charm, wit, military service, and the common touch. What can Mitt do to get more liked and more respected?

5. Meanwhile, there’s no reason to doubt that Santorum will win Louisiana big.