NOT JUST OBNOXIOUS, BUT INEFFECTUALLY OBNOXIOUS

A three-judge panel of the Federal 9th Circuit has declared California's Prop 8 unconstitutional -- and wouldn't you think the next sound you'd hear after that bit of good news would be the angry bleat of Rick Santorum? But I can't find any reaction from him -- nothing on his campaign site (yes, that's the real one, not that, um, other site), and nothing in any news feed.

I know he's going to do well in today's contests in Missouri and Minnesota. I expect that this ruling will bring out a few additional voters for him. I think Dave Weigel is probably overthinking things when he says that this will help restart Newt Gingrich's campaign (Weigel says this because Gingrich has called for the abolition of the 9th Circuit, which wingnuts loathe, and he's already out there with a tweet reiterating that position and denouncing this ruling). I still say the day belongs to Santorum -- he's been leading, and people know this is his issue, especially those in the crazy base. But you'd think Santorum would be out there making gay-ade out of this ruling, denouncing it from the housetops and declaring that the Apocalypse is now nigh. That's what the base really, really wants. So it's no mystery why he's mostly struggled at the polls: he won't be loudly, demagogically, rafter-shakingly obnoxious even about his pet issues. He's just a kvetch. (That's an old Pennsylvania Dutch word, right?)

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Really, did Romney beat Santorum to the punch on this? C'mon, Rick -- you're base wants you to hate with gusto.