Santorum quits; can Romney win essentially unopposed?

The  sock puppet dance is over.  The Santorum campaign has been suspended and Gingrich goes on but with $4.5 million in debt, more or less proving that they were only funded by Romney supporters trying to prevent an alternative from emerging.   Have they figured out a strategy to stop Mitt at the convention using Mitch Daniels or Chris Christie? Have they united behind Dr. Ron Paul?  No.  Gingrich says he will vote for Romney against Obama.  He may try to use Santorum's dropout to regain credibility as the alternative, but it is unlikely to get very far.  They were sock puppets and they were thrown off the stage by their financial backers.

The 1% have succeeded, with just 4.5 million votes to Romney's credit, installing an unpopular compulsive liar as the Republican party standard bearer, because he happens to be rich.  There is a risk, though, to folding the sock puppetry right now. The first risk is not so much Newt Gingrich, but that Ron Paul will suddenly pick up a surprising bump in support.  Secondly, Romney could well lose primaries to Santorum if his name is still on the ballot.  Look for shenanigans, particularly in Texas, to get Santorum's name off the ballot to prevent that embarrassment.

However, it is not likely Romney will try too hard.  Some embarrassment may amuse liberals, but it doesn't change the basic calculation, which is that the country's economy and election can be manipulated by the 1% in such a way as to make a universally detested man president.  If they manage that, the United States as we know it, is dead.  A man who can rationalize any violence against anyone will command the world's largest nuclear arsenal.  There will be an orgy of privatizations and looting.  Every last dime that can be pumped out of the people will be sent overseas to support dictators in foreign lands.  The only growth profession in the land will be armed mercenaries sent overseas; and Wall Street confidence trickster.  There will be a Wall Street collapse which will make the last one look like chicken feed.  Pathetic as Santorum and Gingrich were, today is a dark day for the United States.