I'm sure it's unconstitutional, but I'd support a ban on any campaigning until three months before the general election, and no primary campaigning or elections until after Memorial Day.
A lot of people feel this way. Even back in '08, the two years of campaigning --endless ads, news stories, polls, pundits opining about how things will turn out -- seemed outrageous. It is interesting for people who like to watch this all unfold, as I do, but the drawn-out contest makes it wearying at times. The fact that this time it's only happening on one side probably doesn't help for most people.
All sorts of possibilities lie ahead.
Romney has to win New Hampshire, and probably will. Huntsman may actually come into a second or third place finish, but anything other than that would lead to him dropping out. What will be interesting is seeing how Santorum and Gingrich do. It's much different than Iowa. This is a primary. More people will likely participate and the voting process is nowhere near the same. If Gingrich can make inroads against Romney, he's got a shot at a comeback (and don't forget, the largest newspaper in the state endorsed him). Too bad Perry stayed in. I liked him a lot when he joined the race, but his showing in Iowa was a good excuse to pull out. It also may have helped Gingrich, especially if Perry had endorsed him (though I could see the Texas Gov. endorsing Santorum, too, if he hadn't made a big deal out of Santorum's earmarks.)
Then comes South Carolina, where Gingrich actually has a shot if he can stay above 15% in New Hampshire. This is where Perry hopes to make his last stand.
At least the field is slowly narrowing now that Michele Bachmann is out, and Paul has nowhere to go after a third place finish in Iowa. If he had won or placed a close second instead of Santorum, he could make an argument that he could win. As it is he can't. What's fascinating is all the talk of a 3rd party run, even while his own son says he thinks that would be a bad idea.
At the end of it all, Barack'll be waiting
Let's not jump the gun here. Even if there's a slight uptick in the economic news, it is still a volatile situation where almost anything can happen. Most likely, there will not be a booming return like Reagan had during his re-election bid. But I concede that if the unemployment comes under 7% and it isn't because everyone who is unemployed gave up on looking, then he'll win comfortably.
"Because here’s the thing about life: There’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days when you need a hand. There are other days when we’re called to lend a hand." -- President Joe Biden, 01/20/2021