How bad are things for the President?

According to Weekly Standard’s Jeffrey H. Anderson,, Paul Ryan could beat him solo. According to his calculus:

To win the presidency, Ryan would just have to win his home state and hold GOP-leaning Florida, Ohio, and Virginia. That would be it: election over, Obama defeated, Ryan’s pen poised to sign the Obamacare-repeal legislation.

Further, he might not even need to win Florida: he could probably do it even if he somehow lost Florida (where Obama remains especially unpopular right now) just by taking Wisconsin.

But key to that is winning Wisconsin, and right now, only Paul Ryan is the only candidate held in overwhelming esteem within that state (and that’s true of either party).

If Ryan does not run, another candidate would possibly, if not probably, lose Wisconsin; so in lieu of the Badger State, a candidate would need to pick up Pennsylvania. That one would be tough. But, Anderson adds, Ryan could win the election losing both Florida and Pennsylvania: he could clinch victory simply by winning Wisconsin, Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, and New Hampshire (as well as the other reliably Republican states): all quite doable. Again, if Ryan does not run, the situation becomes harder, but Pawlenty has the polling numbers to do it—according to Anderson’s analysis, that is, but the situation is a little more complicated.

Hmm. Paul Ryan. You know, James Polk once said that some people seek the office, and others are called to it; that we should avoid the former, but always pray for the latter.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.