But three years into his presidency, I think it is fair enough to come to the conclusion that while Obama may be a lot of things, a socialist is not one of them.

Socialism – what is it? These days people seem to call everything under the sun socialism, and things have veered a lot from what I learned in school – that socialism is government-run, often -owned, and -controlled industry.

The problem? While I know there are plenty of touters of Friedman economics who believe  that any type of government interference makes the possibility of a free market impossible, I think most practicing economists understand this to be a bit like the laws of physics – damn hard to apply to every day life due to gravity. What I mean is, if this is the defining characteristic of free market capitalism then all of our government consumer protection organizations are socialist.

This is a far cry from standard definitions of socialism and capitalism – this is extremism to the level of communism.

The problem is too many people confuse social services and social programs with socialism. Sure, if the government offers a service it can be difficult for private actors to compete. But that doesn’t mean they cannot.

I spent some time living in Sweden, often considered to be a bastion of socialism, and would you believe that five days a week I received two mail deliveries, one from the state run post office and one from the private run commercial post service. Private industry competes openly with government run business, is this socialism?

A government, voted by the people for the people, which sets laws and regulations to protect the people, is not socialist.

Passing a law that states every citizen must purchase health insurance or be fined, is not socialist. You can be fined. You can opt not to and pay the fine. You can opt to not pay your medical bills and have the taxpayers pay them instead. Sure, that is your right and your freedom.

Social Security is socialist because you cannot opt out, you pay into it automatically, and the government controls where your money goes. But let’s remember that Obama is not responsible for starting Social Security, and it has provided money for a lot of retirees over the years.

There have been no acts that Obama has passed in his three years in office that have changed the capitalist nature of the United States.

Even the buyouts of the banks, where the US took over part of the banks following the latest economic crisis, were not socialism. Just as according to plan, as soon as they had the funds, the banks bought themselves back. The purpose of the bank takeovers was to preserve capital so that the banks didn’t fail and people didn’t lose all their money, not so that the government could be active in the daily running of the banks. The purpose was purely capitalistic, not socialist.

Let’s also remember the initial TARP act, which lent money to the banks, was President Bush’s act, not Obamas.

Is Obama a socialist? No. Is America at risk to become a socialist country? No. Comparatively speaking the United States has fewer social programs than pretty much any other western nation in the world. Maternity leave, health care, standard practices in many democratic capitalist countries around the world are considered socialist by the people of the US and therefore do not pass through our system. Do you need any more proof?

(White House photo)

WINNERS:

Newt Gingrich

A stellar performance at the debate and a big win in South Carolina has Newt Gingrich back on top of the Republican field.  The Republican nomination may not be as wrapped up as it appeared.  Although Gingrich’s baggage would most likely spell disaster in a general election, it would be something special to see him debate President Obama.

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum gets a nod for winning the Iowa Caucus three weeks after the fact.  He’d have been far better off with the momentum of the win if the votes had actually been counted correctly the first time, but a win is a win.

LOSERS:

Mitt Romney 

Not only did he lose the South Carolina Primary to Newt Gingrich this week, but he also lost the Iowa Caucus three weeks after he won it thanks to a recount.  Bad news on top of bad news for the Mitt with the pivotal contest in Florida just days away.  Romney’s going to release his tax records now, something he obviously didn’t want to do.  And there has to be a reason why he didn’t want to.  Soon we’ll all know what it was.

I actually had Romney in the Winners’ column in my first draft earlier in the week.  It looked like it would be a good week for Romney when President Obama seemed to be trying to help Mitt Romney win the Republican nomination.  Obama named relatively unknown Jeffrey Zients as Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Zients is a former employee of Bain & Company – the same Bain & Company that is being vilified as vultures in frequent attacks on Romney. Obama has neutered those attacks not only for the other Republican candidates, but for his own eventual campaign against Romney.

Occupy the Capitol –
Occupy Wall Street made a small, pathetic showing at the Capitol this week. Deterred by the weather or just bored and apathetic, the Occupiers stayed home in droves. The few radicals who did show were a poor representation, fighting amongst themselves and flailing at the police on hand. This sad showing was definitely a low point for the Occupy movement.

Charles Mainor
NJ Assemblyman Charles Mainor got into hot water this week for calling the Philadelphia Eagles the “Gaybirds” and the Dallas Cowboys the “Cowgirls” on a Facebook post. Gay slurs from a Democratic politician in the Norteast won’t go over very well on his home turf. Doubly so since half of his State falls squarely in the Philadelphia Eagles’ market. Yet another low-level politician who forgot the perils of the 21st century’s social media.

(Image: USGS/NASA)

So, the number one expectation on this list will likely come as a surprise to some. The very first thing that Congress and the President should do at this moment is to get the budget passed. There hasn’t been a real government budget since President Bush left office. Yes, you read that right. President Obama has never had to work within a government budget. This is perhaps the biggest reason why spending is so out of control. There is no budget.

Every person who has ever spent money knows that the instant you lose track of what you’re spending, you lose control. Once you lose control, you get into financial trouble. Any financial adviser will tell you that one of the very first things you should do is to create a budget. In fact, the only way out of this mess is to make a budget.

This issue can’t really be stressed enough, because it really is the first step to getting out of the mess that the President and Congress have gotten the American people into. So, President Obama, quit the campaign trail, get back into Congress, pile the pressure on the Senate Democrats and get an actual budget passed.

In other words, for both Congress and President Obama, DO YOUR JOB.

Second on the list, probably of less importance, but still involving a huge military mistake by someone, is to deal with the spy plane in Iran. Again, this is the President’s job, as listed in the US Constitution as the Commander in Chief. Simply put, the spy plane is a military embarrassment that needs to be dealt with quickly. In fact it is so embarrassing, that it negates any of the past military victories that President Obama has had. Yes, it is even worse than GITMO and that’s saying a lot.

So, President Obama, get your military leaders on the phone, meet them in person, use whatever means at your disposal to get a plan in place to deal with that spy plane. All you are really being asked here is to DO YOUR JOB.

Third on the list is approval of the Keystone project. This project has been in the works for years and is likely President Obama’s only hope for the creation of real jobs (since clearly, all other proposals for job creation have either failed or have been sidelined). Not only is it a step toward energy independence, it is a political feather that can be placed in the Presidential cap. The environmental impact surveys have been done. The time to act is now. So, President Obama, if you want to keep your campaign promise of creating jobs, here’s your best chance for doing so. Delaying this will hurt America’s efforts toward creating energy sources closer to home. Approval of this will fulfill promises made during many, many Presidential speeches.

Since this is getting rather long, these three are the top expectations that should be accomplished before hitting the campaign trail. President Obama, GO DO YOUR JOB and stop the campaign until you get this done. You have plenty of cronies to sing your praises and raise money for you. You need to DO THE JOB you were elected to do.

Congress, the only way you can end the constant disappointment and bring at least some respect back is to do the one thing you are tasked to do by the US Constitution, pass a budget. So, Congress, do some compromising, take the first step to getting America back on a financially smart course, and DO YOUR JOB.

(White House photo)

1. Obama is a One-Term President

Under fire from the ACLU (and any sane human being on the planet), Obama continues to turn his back on the people of the United States after putting his signature squarely on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2012. There’s plenty in the bill to be unhappy about, but a particularly dubious bit about the indefinite detention of any person without due process is the one that worries many Americans.

Of course, the Obama administration has declared that they would use discretion with regards to such a provision, and why shouldn’t we believe them? It’s not like they’ve broken any promises in the past, right? And never mind Obama’s White House… What are we going to do when sloppy Newt gets in there, begins a war with Iran and suddenly sweeps up all the brown people in the United States? We’ll turn a blind eye to it like we always do, that’s what.

Obama is going to lose this election. I can’t tell you who it will be to just yet, but there is no way he’s getting into a second term. He has turned his back on the people who got him elected, and turned his back on the American people as he has repeatedly sold them out to the corporate, banking, military-industrial, and prison-industrial interests in this country – the real owners of this dog and pony show.

2. Please Tread On Me

Americans will continue to let their rights be trampled, both by overzealous police utilizing excessive force (a.k.a. police brutality), as well as the government flexing its new muscle in the form of indefinite detention. People who do speak out will become targets of police and/or military investigation, simply for exercising their right to free speech. If SOPA and PROTECT IP pass, we will see censorship on many websites under the guise of combating piracy and/or terrorism. More bills will be introduced that serve the interests of industry and take away the freedoms of the individual. These will pass without issue.

The American people, meanwhile, will continue to do jack-squat about it and, instead, focus their attention on the next round of American Idol or the new season of Survivor. They will re-elect the treasonous members of Congress who voted for these bills and the cycle will continue, unabated. We will edge ever closer to Idiocracy and 1984.

3. Don’t Raise Me, Bro

Here’s one that’s purely speculative and based simply off of my own day-to-day observations. As a people, we are becoming increasingly more irresponsible. I’m not talking about pulling stupid stunts on New Year’s Eve that get one sent to the hospital. I’m speaking about the lack of personal accountability and sense of responsibility that permeates both my generation and the generation that has followed.

What we have now is an entire generation (or two) of perpetually connected human beings who lack the empathy necessary to give a crap about anything – including one’s children. If we thought the Zero Tolerance and No Child Left Behind years were bad, we haven’t seen anything yet. Parents don’t take an interest in their child’s development and then blame everyone except their own incompetent selves when their kid turns out to be a complete waste of sperm and eggs.

4. Christmas in July

This one will be short and sweet: I will get to enjoy another full week of wearing a t-shirt in December thanks for our good friend that doesn’t actually exist despite the massive amount of evidence – climate change.

5. My Team’s Better

While not terribly political, save for the sports-team-mentality thing, I felt I had to lay it out there. The Baltimore Ravens will indeed win the Super Bowl this year.

There you have it.

(White House photo)

WINNERS

Ron Paul
The Winner of the Year is none other than Ron Paul. No other politician has gained so much ground since 1/1/11. At the beginning of the year he was primarily known, outside of his ardent followers, as the fringe Libertarian. Early in the year he was known as the kook who wanted to legalize drugs and who defended Iran’s right to nuclear weapons. But then John Huntsman and Michele Bachmann flamed out. Rick Perry fizzled. Herman Cain rocketed up and down. America eventually remembered who Newt Gingrich is. At the end of 2011, Paul is seen by many as a legitimate alternative to everybody-knows-he’ll-eventually-be-the-Republican-nominee Mitt Romney.
Although he won’t win the nomination, finishing a reasonable second is a major success for Paul considering he started in the back of the pack. He’s had a year-long stage to present his point of view, which really is all he could have hoped for in 2011.

Chelsea Clinton
Honorable Mention goes to Chelsea Clinton, who exists on the periphery of the political world. Imbued with some kind of residual untouchable quality from her days as first daughter, she received the kind of treatment the press normally reserves for visiting royalty. Unique among American politicians, Ms. Clinton gets to choose which parts of her life are shared with the media and which are kept private. Now that she’s got a plum gig with NBC, Chelsea is primed for a fabulous 2012. 

LOSERS
 

Herman Cain
The Loser of the Year has to be Herman Cain. Cain started 2011 as an unknown in the world of politics. He was a hugely successful businessman who had made millions turning around ailing companies. He entered the political scene as an outsider with big, fresh ideas. He was charming and different and exciting. During the course of 2011 he went from unknown to second-tier candidate to front-runner to scandal-ridden former candidate. His fall from grace was so sudden and so precipitous that his campaign was beyond salvaging. Could 9-9-9 have actually worked? It’s unlikely that we’ll ever know.

Anthony Weiner
Dishonorable mention goes to Anthony Weiner. His disgraceful misuse of his office and his blatant disregard for his responsibilities to the people – not to mention to his wife – cost him his job and his reputation. The only reason he didn’t earn the top spot as Loser of the Year is because he didn’t have as far to fall.
 TOO SOON TO TELL

Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street made a lot of noise in 2011. It grew from a dozen goofy college kids hanging out in a park to a well-financed nation-wide movement in the span of a few months. But the cold set in, the media got bored, and the movement stopped… moving. Occupy, for all its bravado and potential, accomplished nothing in 2011. The 1% still has all the money and the power. Whether the movement grows and achieves a measure of victory in future years is unknowable at this point. We may look back and see 2011 as the year that the Occupy Revolution began. Or we may look back on it as an isolated and unsuccessful experiment. Only time will tell.
President Obama
It wasn’t a good year for President Obama by most objective measures. He accomplished very little on his agenda. He delivered on precious few of his campaign promises. His popularity has sagged. His supporters have wandered off. The economy has only gotten worse since he took office. Foreign relations are deteriorating around the globe. But for all that, I’m still not ready to put him in the Loser column because the Republicans have utterly failed to capitalize on Obama’s missteps in 2011. With no candidate that will really energize the voters, the GOP may be on the way to handing President Obama a second term despite his 2011 performance.

Despite the joyful holiday spirit in the halls of Camp Campaign HQ, our panel of pundits still turned in more Losers than Winners this week.

WINNERS:
 

General Motors –
According to a new analysis from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, General Motors and its various suppliers have received or been promised roughly $3 billion in incentives to produce the Chevy Volt, a hybrid plug-in electric vehicle. To date about six thousand Volts have been sold, all of them to the One-Percenters who can afford a $40,000 automobile. Billions of government dollars spent to subsidize a luxury purchase for the rich would normally bring about the ire of the Left. But because the Volt is environmentally friendly Liberals are paralyzed – unable to condone but unable to condemn. GM gets all the benefits of another big payday on the taxpayers’ dime with none of the usual headaches.

Meghan McCain –
Meghan McCain joined MSNBC as a contributor last month, but no one noticed because a) the press was too busy covering Chelsea Clinton joining NBC, b) no one watches MSNBC, and c) since her dad dropped out of the spotlight four years ago, everyone had forgotten that John McCain even had a hot daughter. This week she managed to sneak into the news cycle by instigating a bizarre attack on Newt Gingrich’s former mistress and current wife, Callista. If her goal was to be seen as a legitimate political analyst, she failed. But I don’t think she was really going for that. If her goal was to get her name in the headlines, which I suspect it was, this was a big success for McCain.

LOSERS:
Every media writer and blogger who thought that they were being clever by calling Newt Gingrich “Newt GinGRINCH” at Christmas time –

It’s too obvious to be considered very clever. Plus, they’re nothing alike. The Grinch is a pantsless, nasty old curmudgeon. Newt wears pants.

Barack Obama –
President Obama was verbally assaulted by none other than Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez this week. Chavez took exception to Obama’s comments earlier in this week, which were critical of Venezuela’s ties with Iran and Cuba. Chavez responded by calling the US President a clown and an embarrassment. He went on to advise President Obama to “Focus on governing your country, which you’ve turned into a disaster”. When Hugo Chavez thinks you’re doing a worse job than President Bush – not one of Chavez’s favorite people – that’s a world-class insult.

Anonymous –
The hacker coalition Anonymous posted the protected data – Email, phone numbers, and home addresses of thousands of police officers this week. This was done in the name of the Occupy Movement, purportedly to avenge the protesters who had suffered police brutality. Isn’t it the definition of bigotry to apply a negative stereotype to an entire group? Anonymous is attacking thousands of police officers and putting their innocent family members at risk because someone else may or may not have been overly aggressive in kicking trespassers out of a public park. This is not the way to bring about economic justice.

The Working Class –
The payroll tax extension, which should be a no-brainer, has become the newest arena in the partisan blame game in Washington. Republicans, Democrats, the House, the Senate – everyone’s got an opinion, but in reality they’re all saying the same thing: it’s the other guy’s fault. Meanwhile, a bunch of millionaires who have no idea what $40 a paycheck means to a working family continue to use your money as a pawn in their games.

Iraq –
Iraq’s first week without a US Military presence didn’t go so well — 14 bombings and counting. The amount of time it takes for Iraq to slip into total chaos (as opposed to the sort of mitigated chaos it’s been in for years) may be measured in weeks, not months.

Remember, you can get in on the action by nominating your choice for a Winner or a Loser of the week. It can be a Conservative or a Liberal or anyone in between. It can be a person, a group, or a country. It can be domestic or international. Anything you dream up, so long as it applies to the world of politics this week. Just enter your suggestion for next week in the comments below this article.

Kim Jong-il Dead at 69

After suffering a major heart attack, according to North Korean state media, Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il has died. Kim, who is succeeded by his third son, Kim Jong-un, rose to power in 1994 after the death of his father, Kim Il-sung. His notable accomplishments include censoring the internet, persecuting Christians, committing untold numbers of human rights violations, and spreading propaganda about other nations.

Congress Passes NDAA and Votes on SOPA

Even after garnering a 9% approval rating, Congress believes that the most pressing issue at the moment is passing an online piracy bill that no one besides the entertainment industry wants. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) will effectively give the government and media companies full control over censorship of the internet – something Congress sees absolutely nothing wrong with. It’s not like the Republicans or Democrats have to worry about anything. If they get voted out, they’ll wind up in a cushy lobbyist job or B-level position in a media company. They’ll still be part of the top 1% of earners, and we’ll still be shoveling feces for peanuts.

That’s not all, though. Congress also recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA), which gives the Government full reign to hold American citizens indefinitely and without due process. You know, the United States Government and the North Korean Government might not be too dissimilar… The U.S. Government’s list of noticeable accomplishments also seems to include censoring the internet, persecuting Muslims, committing human rights violations, and spreading propaganda about other nations. Wow. What a difference fascism makes, eh?

14-Year-Old Girl Schools Rick Perry on Gay Rights

It goes a little something like this:

Girl: “…why you want to deny [gay soldiers] their freedom when they’re fighting for your rights?”

Perry: “This is about my faith, and I happen to think that there are a whole host of sins, homosexuality being one of them.”

Here’s the thing, Dick: If you can’t separate your faith from your governance, you don’t get to be President, capisce?

Bradley Manning Finally Gets His Trial

Accused of providing thousands of United States diplomatic cables and other classified information to whistleblower website WikiLeaks, Pfc. Bradley Manning is finally getting his trial after being held in solitary confinement for over fifteen months. The defense initially began proceedings by requesting the investigator recuse himself, citing evidence that points to bias. In addition, the defense argued that the leaking of the cables has caused no real harm or danger. Their latest tactics seem to revolve around Manning’s sexual orientation and his mental state.

Am I missing something here, or is Bradley Manning’s defense a total show? If I were his defense, the angle I’d play at is that it was not espionage or any such act, but an act to defend the Constitution as he is sworn to do. Pfc. Manning revealed war crimes and dirty deeds by the U.S. Government, and for that he should be honored. When the Government is punishing the whistleblowers and turning a blind-eye to corruption, you know something nefarious is afoot.

But instead of doing something about it, let’s make it a battle between Obama (the guy who, during his campaign, said that whistleblowers should be praised, but now goes after them feverishly) and Gingrich (who, during his younger years smoked marijuana,  and introduced a bill that would enact a mandatory death penalty for those who smuggle the plant).

…

It’s been one Hell of a week in the land of Oz! As we head into the new year, keep your wits about you and stay sharp. You never know who might be checking in on you.

(Image: CIA World Factbook)

WINNERS:

Christmas –
Christmas is a winner this week. A new Rasmussen Poll says that 79% of Americans think Christmas (and other religious holidays) should be celebrated in the public schools. Of those who do celebrate Christmas, 80% consider it to be a religious holiday, despite the nigh-overwhelming onslaught of commercialism and secularism that has invaded the holiday.

Also included in the survey results – 70% would rather see “Merry Christmas” on a store sign than “Happy Holidays”. I think major retailers have been getting that message, even before the survey results hit. I, personally, have noticed a significant uptick in “Merry Christmas” greetings from store clerks this year over the past few politically correct seasons.

Capitalism –
I have to admit that I’m struggling with calling a winner or loser in the whole Lowes – All-American Muslim controversy. I don’t think it should be a controversy at all, really. As full disclosure, I am a Christian who is not in the least bit threatened by a TV show about Muslims on TLC. I am also a discerning TV viewer who would no more watch a reality show about Muslims than one about Kim Kardashian or a bunch of drunken idiots from the Jersey Shore. In short, I wouldn’t watch it but I don’t care if you do.

I certainly wouldn’t condone bigotry against any group, but can not sponsoring a TV show really be considered bigotry? No one has a right to receive money from a corporation for a TV show. No one should be able to tell Lowe’s where or how to spend their advertising dollars. This is a case of political correctness, entitlement mentality, and over-sensitivity run amok. This is not an attack on Muslims. It’s a business decision. Lowe’s is a commercial enterprise and has every right to decide how to promote their brand. Just like you have every right to decide whether or not that you, personally, will patronize Lowe’s based on any criteria you choose.

Which brings us to the winner in this whole ugly affair –- capitalism. I may not agree with the Florida Family Association, who managed to pull the plug on Lowe’s sponsorship of the TLC show, but they did the right thing from a capitalistic point of view. They used the power of the purse to cajole Lowe’s into doing as they wished. Lowe’s, too, did the right thing. As a capitalist enterprise, they followed the money. I’m sure Lowe’s had an entire cadre of bean counters devoted to analyzing the economic impact of alienating either the Florida Family Association (whoever they are) or fans of All-American Muslims (and, perhaps, Muslims in general). Even those offended by the withdrawal of advertising are on the right track –- again, we’re looking at this from a purely capitalistic perspective — by threatening a boycott, which is the flexing of one’s economic muscles.

LOSERS:

Political Correctness –
The same Rasmussen Poll mentioned above showed that 79% of Americans consider Political Correctness to be “a serious problem.” When almost 8 out of 10 people think that your solution is more of a problem than the problem it is supposed to solve, well, that’s not good.

ATF & DOJ –
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Department of Justice are deservedly in the crosshairs. A year after their disastrous Fast and Furious Operation, the right people are finally asking the right questions. Fast and Furious made the Iran-Contra Operation of the 1980s seem like a brilliant idea by comparison. Now it is being compared to another scandal in terms of political casualties – Watergate. Although Fast and Furious was a far worse breach in terms of human casualties – 300 and counting –  for F&F to be compared to Watergate. Whether or not this debacle reaches to the White House remains to be seen.

The Axis of Evil –

With the death of North Korea’s Kim Jong Il, the Axis of Evil is now a pole of evil. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran stands alone. Whether this marks an improvement or just more of the same for North Korea – not to mention any country in the region at whom North Korea currently aims their nuclear weapons – now rests squarely on the shoulders of Kim Jong Il’s youngest son, Kim Jong Un.

So how is it that this bunch, who praise the constitution as being only second to the bible in its importance as guidelines to how we live our lives, can suddenly be so critical of such a basic principal of the constitution?

Of course it goes without saying that judges wield an enormous amount of power. And even with the expansion of mandatory sentencing laws, judges still have the ability to make decisions which are far-reaching in their scope and breadth.

But the roll of the judiciary system is an important one in the history of the United States. If there is anything I think we can agree on that the “founding fathers” considered important, it was a well-functioning judicial system. Although the decision to develop federal courts was controversial during the drafting of the constitution, it made the cut.

And not only did it make the cut, but so did the idea of lifetime appointments – which Rick Perry seems to be against. The idea behind lifetime appointments was that it enforced the idea that judges could not be persuaded by outside forces — that they would remain true to their ideals and not be subject to firings for political beliefs, or campaigning to keep their jobs.

What seems to be a major issue here is the interpretation of the courts as generally left-leaning and thus a danger to conservative thought. Despite the fairly balanced current Supreme Court, some feel the push of a left wing agenda.

This isn’t a new discussion, but Alexander Hamilton argued it quite well – the courts don’t control the purse strings and they don’t make the laws, they can only pass judgement. The courts are, he felt, the weakest of the branches of government.

I guess what I want to know is, why isn’t that still true today? Isn’t the court system just backing up the constitution? Could it be that some conservative ideas, like it or not, are leading us away from the constitution, rather than towards it? If you don’t agree, does that mean the other party is automatically incorrect and immoral?

There are many supreme court rulings I find to be against my principles and those that I strongly disagree with, but I don’t feel like dismantling the system. I realize that my will and my idea of what is constitutionally correct doesn’t necessarily make it the truth.

I am heartbroken that the supreme court ruled corporations have the same rights as a individuals, but that doesn’t mean I think they should abolish the court, or change the lifetime appointments of judges.

I’m not saying the judicial system is perfect, and that it couldn’t stand a bit of fine tuning. But I think the main dysfunctional element of the judicial system is the human factor. That is, we are human and we are sometimes led astray. There are some good judges and there are some bad judges. Then there are a lot of judges in between.

WINNERS:
Ron Paul –
As the various Republican contenders fall by the wayside for sundry reasons, Ron Paul looks less like a fringe kook and more like a legitimate option. He placed third in the latest Iowa poll, just one point behind Mitt Romney. When Newt Gingrich’s past inevitably catches up to him, we may well be down to a two-man race between Paul and Romney.

Newt Gingrich –
For the time being, Newt Gingrich is riding high. He’s way out in front of the field in the latest Iowa poll. A rough interview with Glenn Beck and a bizarre off-handed threat from Nancy Pelosi weren’t enough to slow him down this week. I think even Gingrich is surprised that he’s considered a viable option – the front runner, even – for the Republican nomination at this point in the process. His campaign team is struggling to meet the filing deadlines to get his name on the ballots of various states – a sign of both his shocking success in the polls and unsettling shortcomings in his campaign organization. Still, this was another good week for the Newt.

Donald Trump –
Somehow Donald Trump has become a coveted backer among Republicans. Trump is emerging as a sort of elder statesman within the party, despite having zero political experience aside from a brief flirtation with a campaign earlier this year. I guess having a gagillion dollars will buy a guy some degree of legitimacy. Trump is now clearly established as a king-maker among the dwindling field of hopefuls vying for the Republican nomination. Maybe the remaining contenders will agree to forego the primary process and appear on a reality TV show hosted by Trump to determine the next nominee?

LOSERS:
Alec Baldwin –
Alec Baldwin isn’t an actual political figure, but he wants to be. His delusions of a future in politics took a hit this week when Baldwin became belligerent and was kicked off an American Airlines flight because he was playing a game on his cell phone. Baldwin thought that his celebrity put him above FAA regulations, but he was mistaken. To follow up his boorish behavior, Baldwin Tweeted his umpteen followers to complain about American Airlines, mock their flight attendants, and act as if it were totally normal behavior to disregard safety regulations in order to play an online spelling game with friends. Every time Baldwin does something to build upon his already well-established image as a self-absorbed jerk, his dreams of being taken seriously drift that much farther away.

Vladimir Putin –
I guess we overstated Vladimir Putin’s popularity among the Russian people in last week’s column. This week protesters took to the streets in defiance of the mere possibility of Putin maybe retaking the reigns of the country. His United Russia Party – and by extension, Putin himself – was accused of voter fraud in a parliamentary election that no one seemed to care much about until it was all over. Even Mikhail Gorbachev, who may or may not have died several years ago, got into the act and public called for an electoral do-over. That was one short honeymoon.

Herman Cain –
It’s all over for Cain. I think we’ve spent enough time on his fall from grace in this column. We won’t rehash his plight any further. Suffice it to say (there’s an expression that I don’t get to use nearly often enough) that Herman Cain is in the Loser column again this week – probably for the last time in the foreseeable future as he fades into obscurity. For those who can’t get enough of this Cain Wreck, you can read still more on the subject in Eric Blake’s article or Jason Lightner’s article this week.

Rod Blagojevich –
Very few rational observers doubted Rod Blagojevich’s guilt. But 18 convictions? In Chicago? His 14-year sentence is more than double that of his immediate predecessor, George Ryan, also convicted and sentenced for corruption. Anybody else seeing a pattern here?

THE PEOPLE’S LOSER: LANNY BREUER - 

Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer is Eric Holder‘s right hand man.  It looks like he’s also the Oliver North of the Justice Department. Operation Fast & Furious retroactively has a new mastermind and the Justice Department has its scapegoat.