SATURDAY 21
Newt Gingrich defies the odds, conventional wisdom and the laws of good taste by defeating favorite Mitt Romney in the South Carolina primary. Florida, here they come …
SUNDAY 22
The New York Giants and New England Patriots win their respective championship games, setting the stage for an epic rematch of Super Bowl XLII and an even more epic two weeks of pre-game hype.
MONDAY 23
The circus comes to town as the Republican candidates for president debate at USF. The event attracts scores of protesters, the “Women for Newt” advocacy group, and one Koran-burning pastor from Gainesville. Jan. 31 can’t get here soon enough.
TUESDAY 24
Overflow crowds greet Newt and Calista at the Tick Tock restaurant in St. Petersburg. Gingrich gets through breakfast without remarrying.
President Obama sums up the state of the union as “getting stronger” in his annual address. Republican Mitch Daniels then delivers the opposition message: “Over our dead bodies!”
This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 1, 2012.