The first Weekend Edition of the New Year bears witness to the departure of Michele Bachmann from the national stage. She leaves having locked up the Looney Lifetime Achievement Award. In the meantime we are now witness to the rise of Ron and Rick (Santorum not Perry, who has joined the ranks of the walking wounded). And the latest news shows some welcome good news on the national employment front which makes us want to look at Mitt Romney’s claims of job creation.

The Ron Also Rises

Upon the conclusion of the Iowa Caucus Ron Paul found himself in third place. Somehow getting approximately 25,000 nods of approval in Iowa in the middle of the winter is supposed to legitimize a national campaign for President of the United States.

There are two amazing things about the Paul candidacy. The first is that even though almost all Americans are the direct beneficiaries of the services provided by government Ron Paul’s supporters want to dismantle that apparatus. Apparently Ron Paul’s idea of liberty is the freedom to be poor, ignorant and sick.

The second amazing aspect of Congressman Paul’s candidacy is that he still considered a legitimate candidate even after disclosure of nearly two decades of racist rants and screeds in his newsletter. Ron Paul claims that he never reads the newsletter that bears his name and that is even worse.

That a person responsible for spewing racial slurs, myths and insults could be considered presidential material in Iowa or anywhere else is simply shameful – and a sign of the times.

The Rick Also Rises

Rick Santorum came within 8 votes of beating Mitt Romney in the Iowa Caucus. Americans who remember how adept Republicans were in stealing the 2000 presidential election in another close contest should beware.

Mr. Santorum comes to the national stage as a kind of two trick pony. At every possible opportunity he will proclaim his adamant and absolute opposition to abortion and contraception as well as his intent to impose his value system on every female in America.

Santorum’s other trick is to be totally opposed to any legitimization of the lives and lifestyles of gay Americans. He is (in) famous for comparing homosexuality to bestiality and he is very clear that as president his mission would be to allow gender discrimination to be wrapped in the American flag.

That Rick Santorum is rising in the polls demonstrates once again that the A.B.O. (Anybody But Obama) crowd in G.O.Tea Party is not above scraping the bottom of the barrel to find their man (sorry Michele).

The Bane of Bain

Speaking of scraping the bottom of the barrel, it appears that Mitt Romney is the target of the A.B.M. (Anybody But Mitt) movement. At different points in time Herman Cain, Donald Trump, Michele Bachmann and the almost departed Rodeo Rick Perry have all been deemed preferable to the founder of Bain Capital.

Mr. Romney has been touting his creation of 100,000 jobs while he was the head of Bain Capital. As the saying goes there are lies, damn lies and statistics. The fact about Mitt Romney’s statistics is that the overwhelming bulk of 100,000 jobs in companies financed by Bain (Staples, Domino’s, and Sports Authority) were created after Bain cashed out. You might also ask how many Americans seriously aspire to having a career selling pizza, golf balls or pencils.

The fact is that during the past 11 months of the Obama Administration more jobs have been created in the United States than in the entire 8 years of the Bush Administration. A fact that Mitt Romney and the G.O.Tea Party will continue to ignore. But this is a fact that we should all remember.

Have a great weekend!