New Hampshire Votes...

Well, the nation's first real primary is underway, and who better to help analyze the doings in the Granite State than Joshuapundit's own political animal, Weekend Monkey. Welcome aboard, Weekend Monkey!

WM: Howdy doody Rob, glad to be here. And hideyho to all my primate fans!

RM: What are you seeing on the ground in New Hampshire,Monkey.

WM: I still see this as a Romney win, Rob. The real questions are how high he gets up the tree and how high some of the others get on the lower branches. People like Santorum, Gingrich and Perry are hoping to do just well enough to make it to the next stop in South Carolina.

I gotta say, the poop flinging, especially from Newtie surprised me, but may be it shouldn't have.

RM: Yeah, he's always been kind of a bomb thrower. But in this case, all I think he's doing is convincing more and more voters that he isn't presidential material. But I never thought I'd see someone like Newt Gingrich using anti-capitalist rhetoric while still claiming to be 'a Reagan conservative.'

WM: What is it with the ReThugs and Reagan? He's been out office for what, thirty years now? Yet they continue going on about him like flies buzzing around an old dried up piece of chimpy poop.

RM: Don't be disrespectful, Monkey. Ronaldus Maximus was one of America's greatest presidents. He took over a country in decline and turned it around completely. And he set millions free by destroying the Soviet Empire, something no one thought was possible. He did what all presidents should strive for but most never achieve..he left the country far better off than he found it.

Anyway..I think Gingrich is plummeting, but he's going to desperately try and hang on until South Carolina. If he doesn't do well there, I think he's out of it. Same with Perry.

WM: I think you might be right about Newtie, but I have a feeling Rick Perry's gonna hang around awhile, try and outlast Gingrich and Santorum to be the anti-Romney Numero Uno.

RM: Yeah, that could work for Perry. Both Gingrich and Santorum have sketchy organizations and are underfunded. But in the end, I don't see him as winning the nomination.

WM: Hard to say at this point,but I'd agree it's an uphill climb for him.

RM: You figure Romney's going to be the nominee?

WM: You're asking me how ReThugs think? No telling. The convention isn't even until August, that's seven months away. In an election year, that's a lifetime. Anything could happen. I'll say this though. If Romney wins in South Carolina and maybe one more primary, I think most of the others will drop out. That would actually be good for the ReThugs, because they would have some breathing space to concentrate on getting ready for Obama.

RM: OK Monkey...as always, thanks for dropping by!

WM: Smell ya later primates!


Weekend Monkey was a Democratic candidate for president in 2008 and is JoshuaPundit's resident political Guru. He can be reached at wendmonkey@yahoo.com