It's All Fun and Games Until Romney is Elected

   I was on my usual Saturday morning drive listening to the Stephanie Miller Show. The turning leaves have hit their peak in brilliance and on this particular morning the Stephanie Miller crew was equally brilliant. Of course, the material offered up by the Republican Primary Debates has given many comedians a golden opportunity to put their comedic acumen on full display. But somewhere between "Gropey-Changey" and a stand of Red Autumn Maples, I was struck with the reality that eventually the silliness of the GOP will give way to a bare-knuckled political bout between Mitt Romney and his VP selection versus our President Obama and VP Biden.
   In a matter of hours, from the time I wrote down my simple intro to the topic at 7 in the morning, the Romney campaign has gained tremendous momentum. Newt Gingrich is unlikely to attack Mitt Romney, but that really is the X factor right now. Tea Party "rock" and anchor, Rep Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming, is scheduled to announce her endorsement of Mitt Romney. This news is huge. For those Liberals that tend to ignore the inner workings of the Tea Party, Lummis looms large and had a big voice in the Debt Ceiling fiasco. Her endorsement will likely push Romney another 5 points. How will the new flavor of the month respond? Not Cain, his flavor has seriously soured. How will Newt proceed from here?
   In other big news, the Supreme Court is scheduled to determine whether the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. While this ruling may have negative implications for the President, it is just as potentially negative for Mitt Romney. It will likely place Romney in the undesirable position of defending the mandate while offering the subtle differences between State and Federal mandate as the contrast. Newt Gingrich isn't out of the weeds on this issue either. Newt has supported the mandate repeatedly, while trying to say his earlier words really have no meaning unless he says they do.
   Originally, I had intended to write that it's time to drop the "fun and games" and get serious about 2012. Yes, the Republican field is the weakest I've seen or even imagined in my lifetime, but there is a serious challenge to be considered from Mitt Romney. He's a chameleon and he's determined. Lest we get too giddy with all the punchlines from also-rans, Romney will certainly select a very strategic VP candidate. Of course, there's plenty of time for Mitt to misstep in a big way, but if the focus continues to be the sideshow of Cain, Bachmann and Perry, it just might go unnoticed or less than fully exposed.