Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: Menace to Society

We begin today with Brianne Pfannenstiel of the Des Moines Register and the all-too-predictable announcement of the Selzer poll showing that Number 45 has a nearly 30-point polling advantage over his nearest rival for tomorrow’s Iowa Caucuses.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is in a distant second place, having overtaken Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

But even as Haley has moved into second place, a new Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll indicates her support may be based on “shaky ground,” said pollster J. Ann Selzer, who conducted the poll.  

The Iowa Poll shows 48% of likely Republican caucusgoers pick Trump as their first choice for president — a slight dip from the 51% who said the same in December. [...]

Selzer, who is president of the nationally recognized firm Selzer & Co., said Saturday’s results bring to mind those of the final Iowa Poll before the 2016 Republican caucus.  [...]

The poll shows troubling signs around likely caucusgoers’ enthusiasm for Haley, which could become particularly important as Iowa faces what is expected to be a historically cold caucus night following a blizzard that dumped a foot of snow across much of the state.

While Haley has surpassed DeSantis, Selzer said, “most of the rest of the data here is not good news.”

I’m reminded of a term that I know from the college football message boards and blogs called a “sad touchdown.”

It’s when a team that is being totally blown out in a game manages to score a touchdown, usually in the last 5 minutes of a game when the opposing team’s defense has second and even third-stringers in the game. Nevertheless, the game is still a blowout. 

That’s what Nikki Haley’s second place polling finish in Iowa reminds me of: a sad touchdown.

And Ron DeSantis has become like Florida State in the Orange Bowl.