1. Rick Perry As Front Runner?

2. This is really pathetic

3. $500,000 of Green for Green Jobs, Red for the Rest of Us

1. Rick Perry As Front Runner?

I wrote just last week that it was too soon to declare Rick Perry the new front runner in the race for the Republican nomination, but a week later things are starting to shape up well for him.Gallup polling dispels the idea that Perry cannot beat Barack Obama. They are tied among registered voters, which would more than likely put Perry ahead in likely voters. Mitt Romney still polls better against Obaam and has more money, but Romney also has higher name identification. Interestingly, as Perry’s name ID goes up, his favorable ratings go up too.Right now, though, the polls that matter are state by state polls.In Iowa, Democrat leaning PPP reports that Rick Perry is now in first place with 22% with Romney at 19%. More surprisingly, PPP polled on Sarah Palin’s effects in the race. Surprisingly, for both Romney and Perry a Palin candidacy was statistically meaningless — both only dropping a single point. Palin herself came in below Ron Paul. This suggests, more than anything, that it is time for Palin to fish or cut bait.PPP also reports that it will release a poll today showing Perry with a double digit lead nationally and, if it were a two man race, he’d be trouncing Mitt Romney with more than 50% of the vote. Lastly, PPP has a poll showing Barack Obama beating Perry, but by only six points. That’s actually not good for an incumbent President right now. Carter’s lead over Ronald Reagan’s at this point was double digits.All this suggests that Perry is rapidly becoming the front running and consolidating the lead. In this is also a problem.Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. This is really pathetic

This is unsurprising, but also really pathetic.“Conservative” elites are unhappy with the Republican field.Bill Kristol pines for a smart guy.Let me put this in perspective for you. The group of “smart” conservatives who were okay to let No Child Left Behind go through, who did little to oppose Medicare Part D, who advocated for TARP, and endorsed the idea of “big government” conservatives are unhappy that the only people running for President right now are actual conservatives.Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. $500,000 of Green for Green Jobs, Red for the Rest of Us

It certainly pays to go green. Well, at least until the greenbacks stop flowing – and bankruptcy kicks in.Last year, the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Chris Horner estimated that the $30 billion green handout in the stimulus bill cost taxpayers roughly $475,000 per job created. According to the Wall Street Journal, that’s quadruple the cost of creating a job in a nonsubsidized private firm. It turns out that Horner was right on the money, even for non-energy related “green” jobs.Please click here for the rest of the post.