As we have said before, it is remarkable that media outlets continue to turn to Richard Land for political prognostications given his laughable track record.
During the last election, Land could not stop talking about how Fred Thompson was a “Southern-fried Reagan” who possessed “a tantalizing combination of charisma, conviction and electability,” while gushing that to “see Fred work a crowd must be what it was like to watch Rembrandt paint.”
Voters, of course, did not see it that way.
Not too long ago, Land was publicly predicting that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would resign her position so that she could launch a primary challenge against President Obama and that she would do so within thirty days.
That was in October of 2010.
But still, media outlets continue to turn to Land to provide “insights” into political races and so I guess they get what they deserve …. such as pieces like this in which he compares the Republican candidates to the cast of “Happy Days”:
For those of a certain age, the remaining GOP field reminds them of some of the cast of the fabulously successful TV series “Happy Days.” Santorum is Richie Cunningham, the bright, earnest student body president who will grow up to be a solid citizen and probably president of the Rotary Club. Romney is Mr. Cunningham, Richie’s father, a stable provider and businessman. Gingrich is the Fonz, Arthur Fonzarelli, who steals the show and the series. It was originally intended to be Ron Howard’s (Richie Cunningham) star vehicle, but from the Fonz’s first appearance all eyes were on him. He was the hot ticket, and the series often revolved around him and his escapades.
While Gingrich is ahead in the polls, the majority of likely Republican voters — according to Rasmussen — still believe Romney is going to be the eventual nominee. Why? Well, I think it is clear that while the Fonz is the most charismatic character on “Happy Days,” Richie and Mr. Cunningham certainly appear to be more stable and successful husband material. And picking a president is in some ways similar to picking a spouse. You’re going to be living with that person and his or her decisions every day for at least four years. Gingrich’s unfavorability rating (56 percent) more than doubles his favorability rating (27 percent) with the general populace in a Fox News and Opinion Dynamics poll.
Gingrich’s challenge will be to get a majority of Americans to believe in his potential to settle down to the task and be the president they need him to be. After all, in “Happy Days,” Mrs. Cunningham always saw more potential in “Arthur” than the other characters. And as we all know, mothers often know best.
