As anticipated, Mitt Romney won big in the Nevada caucuses Saturday. As of this morning, former Massachusetts governor had garnered 47.6% of the vote, out-distancing second-place finisher Newt Gingrich by nearly 25 percentage points.

More problematic for Gingrich, though, was not Romney’s margin of victory, which was anticipated by many. It was Ron Paul’s third place finish, close behind Gingrich. Gingrich won 22.7% of the vote, while Paul got 18.6%.

Also in deep trouble was fourth-place finisher Rick Santorum. He got just 11.1% of the vote, well out of the race, and it looks like his top finish in Iowa was just a fluke. Read 

As a TV mom on the hit television show Roseanne, Roseanne Barr embodied both a blue-collar worker and mother. Now, Barr wants to stand up for the 99%, announcing that she is seeking the Green Party nomination for president.

In her announcement, Barr heaped scorn on both parties, stating “[t]he Democrats and Republicans have proven that they are servants — bought and paid for by the 1% — who are not doing what’s in the best interest of the American people.”

Barr made headlines in 2008 for criticizing Oprah Winfrey for endorsing Barack Obama, and said she believed there was little difference between him and then-President George W. Bush.  She also later said that Obama was unelectable and would result in the election of “the most racist right wing republican ever.” Read 

In the aftermath of his decisive Florida victory, Mitt Romney picked up some new followers. These followers aren’t fervent fans of the former Massachusetts governor, though. They are Secret Service agents.

The Secret Service, in addition to providing protection for the President, Vice President, their immediate families, former presidents, and heads of state from foreign nations, also provide protection for major presidential and vice presidential candidates. The Secretary of Homeland Security determines, with the assistance of an advisory committee primarily made up of House and Senate leaders, who is a major candidate.

Romney’s status as a “major candidate” in the eyes of this committee and the Secret Service comes with advantages and disadvantages. The Secret Service cut a distinctive figure, one that can’t help but make the protected look presidential, but it also greatly limits Romney’s access to the voters. Getting into events takes more security, roads get closed and traffic jams ensue, and the Secret Service will do their best to keep a good, safe distance between him and the attendees at his events. Read 

Among many other fascinating Super Bowl side effects, there is one with significant political implications. The score of the game — more specifically, if the game is a close one or a blowout — seems to indicate which party will win the presidency.

Thus far, there have been 11 election-year Super Bowls. When the games have been decided by 14 points or less, the Democrats have gone 4-3 in the election. The 1976, 1992, 1996, and 2008 elections went to Democrats, while 1980, 2000, and 2004 went to Republicans. However, the four occasions when election-year Super Bowls were decided by more than 14 points, the Republican candidate won each election — 1968, 1972, 1984, and 1988.

A Super Bowl blowout frequently preceded an election-year blowout. Richard Nixon won 520 electoral votes in 1972, Ronald Reagan won 525 electoral votes in 1984, and George H.W. Bush won 426 electoral votes in 1988. Read 

This is a futile effort because it is unenforceable. Who is going to be the enforcer, the teenage cashier at the grocery store checkout? This is basic stuff and common sense. Anytime a rule, regulation, or policy is established, it must contain three components: the standard (what the law is), the conditions (circumstances surrounding the need for the law, mitigating and extenuating), and the method of enforcement as measured against the standards. If an action cannot clearly and completely fulfill all three of these components, then quit wasting time and energy and move on to something else. Of course, in this case, the better effort would be to strive to establish conditions and an environment where these people do not require food stamps.

– Don Hanson, Smithfield, Va.

The opinions contained in this column are solely those of the writer. Read 

An already volatile and unpredictable GOP primary season just became more volatile today. Donald Trump’s endorsement, originally thought to be going to Newt Gingrich, is now apparently going to be given to Mitt Romney.

The endorsement will be given officially at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time today, at a luxury hotel in Las Vegas that bears Trump’s name.  The Nevada caucuses will be held Saturday.

Trump, who flirted with a presidential run as a Republican or a third-party candidate, also tried to host a debate in Iowa in December. Only Gingrich and Rick Santorum said they would attend, and the debate was eventually cancelled. Read