Presidential politics, theater debate heat up dog days

With the ascendancy of the star Sirius, we are officially in the dog days of what has been an unusually cool summer. Thank goodness politics has kept things hot. (Yep, it's a lame intro, but remember we are — political hacks who get excited over cross tabs in a poll.) Your nerdish columnists will now review current political topics.

In the presidential contest, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann won the Ames, Iowa, poll, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty dropped out, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry entered in a big way. How does this impact Utah's favorite sons, Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney?

Pignanelli: "Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen." — Winston Churchill

Jon Huntsman just may be the luckiest guy in politics today. Although he is struggling to rise above 6 percent in the polls, recent events work in his favor. Because he is viewed as a "non-crazy" credible candidate, he will capture a portion of Pawlenty's support.

Moreover, Perry's over-the-top pandering to the religious right will push a number of Republicans to search for an alternative. Romney will be constrained by his own baggage (i.e. reputation for flip-flopping, mixed reviews on Massachusetts economy during his term, controversial healthcare program, etc.) from taking the fight to Perry. Huntsman's record and personal persona allows him to jump all over Perry, and the Texas governor cannot do anything about it.

Of course, Perry can counter that Huntsman is too moderate, which plays into the Utah governor's strategy. In the meantime, Romney will be forced play down his gubernatorial experience and emphasize his business acumen in order to stall Perry's encroachment into his support.

Webb: Perry is clearly a big threat to both Bachmanm and Romney, but Bachman stands to lose the most initially. Bachman can't win the general election, so some of her support may shift to Perry as the more electable candidate. However, it remains to be seen whether Perry can appeal to enough independents and mainstream voters to put together a winning coalition.

The wild card is that Perry is fully capable of self-destructing and the scrutiny is just beginning. Romney has been thoroughly vetted and is the better general election candidate, but he doesn't generate a lot of passion. Perry must demonstrate presidential demeanor and show he's not a loose cannon cowboy. Huntsman, holding on to his centrist positioning, still has a hard time gaining traction.