Quicker Thoughts

1. Perry’s “brain freeze” and sheer oopsy goofiness is actually a godsend. It was a painfully crippled guy shooting himself to put us out of the misery of watching him.

2. The debate, as Pete says, was so stupid that Cain was charming enough and didn’t get any hard questions. The crowd was with him. So we’re stuck with the misery of watching him die more slowly than he should for a while. But it goes without saying he won’t even make it to Iowa.

3. Newt, whose performance didn’t move me but wasn’t bad, is now surging in Iowa and Florida. Pete is right that he’s not a real ideas man these days. He remains old without being rugged and not really in touch. If Cain was taken out by his past with random women, then . . . Newt is not a serious alternative.

4. Romney was fine as CEO-in-chief, but he’s just not working for the likely primary and caucus voters. For one thing, he needs to make clear what he would do after he negates Obamacare with universal exemptions. His poll numbers seem to be getting worse, even without a real opponent.

5. It looks like the Supreme Court will take on Obamacare and rule in June 2012. I’m thinking any effort by the Court to resolve this political controversy might actually benefit Obama. The other view is that any way of being saved by the really bad effects of implementing these policies is to be welcomed. I’m not at all sure about this, and it’s even possible that Scalia will be a surprising swing vote.