Contact Whalen at 978-888-3131; tjw64@bu.edu or tjw64@comcast.net

“I think the Perry surge is more about Mitt Romney dropping the ball politically. He was the front runner and now, all of a sudden, Rick Perry occupies that space in the Republican Party. And the reason is that GOP voters are not satisfied with Romney as an alternative or Michele Bachmann. Rick Perry, by default, is the front runner because conservatives in the party feel familiar with him, comfortable with him as a candidate.”

Contact Whalen at 978-888-3131; tjw64@comcast.net

Contact John at 617-353-3493 or carroll7@bu.edu; Twitter: @johncarroll_bu

Earlier posts:

Tom Fiedler on the Iowa straw poll

Tom Whalen on the Iowa straw poll

Contact Tom at 978-888-3131 or tjw64@comcast.net

Contact Tom at 617-353-3488, tfiedler@bu.edu; Twitter: @BUCOMDEAN

Field position – Putnam assumes key sponsorship at Gillette Stadium, raising its profile (Boston Globe): “It’s a perceptional investment. There are lots of ancillary things that can come out of it.” Christopher Cakebread, Assistant Professor of Advertising, College of Communication

Mitt Romney, president might have Rock-y run-in (Boston Herald): “These candidates say they’re one with the common man, but then they end up at these elite playgrounds. They could have a ‘This island isn’t big enough for the two of us’ moment.” Tom Whalen, Associate Professor of Social Science, College of General Studies

Patrick hits the road campaign style (Boston Globe): ”To govern, you need to campaign. Day to day politics sure acts like its a battle, and a battle for the public.” Virginia Sapiro, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences

Does public understand debt debate? (Patriot Ledger): “Mainstream news media and the new media have been paying a lot of attention to this, so people say they are following it, but I think it’s too arcane and too political for people to really have a clear understanding as opposed to a push-button ideological understanding.” Tobe Berkovitz, Associate Professor of Advertising, College of Communication

Leaders in Congress scramble toward deal (Boston Globe): “The markets have kind of assumed that rationality would prevail. But every hour it’s seeming less and less likely that that will be the case.” Cornelius Hurley, Professor of Law, School of Law

Hospital charges $9.2 million to dead patient’s estate (ABCNews.com): “This is tragic. I think that the aim of health care might be something like…confidence that every American will get needed, competent, and timely care without having to worry about the bill when we are sick and, and without having to ever worry about losing our insurance coverage. That’s what we can get for $2.7 trillion a year.” Alan Sager, Professor of Health Policy & Management, School of Public Health

Anti-addiction drugs face more than medical issues (New Scientist): “Before any vaccine is put on the market we need to get these ethical considerations worked out. It should always be the individual’s choice to be immunized. The treatments will only be successful if the individual is motivated to quit, otherwise they will find ways to get around it.” Kathleen Kantak, Professor of Psychology, College of Arts & Sciences

Tom Fiedler is the Dean of the College of Communication and an expert on American politics and political reporting. He is the former executive editor of the Miami Herald and a regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 617-353-3488, tfiedler@bu.edu, Twitter: @BUCOMDEAN

Tom Whalen is an associate professor of Social Sciences. He is an expert on modern American politics and the American presidency. He is a regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 617-353-4785, tjw64@bu.edu

Tobe Berkovitz is an associate professor of Advertising. He is an expert on media strategy and political advertising. He can be reached at 617-353-7742, tobetv@bu.edu

Cornelius Hurley, a professor at Boston University’s School of Law, is director of the Center for Finance, Law & Policy (formerly the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law). He is a former counsel to the Fed Board of Governors. He can be reached at 617-353-5427, ckhurley@bu.edu, Twitter: @ckhurley

Tomorrow: Our experts weigh in on Jon Huntsman

“Romney is the most serious challenger to Obama because he is not extreme. But note that the headline ‘Romney leads’ is based on support among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. That still leaves Romney the problem of getting past primaries and caucuses in which independents may not participate, depending on state rules.”

Contact Graham Wilson, 617-353-2540, gkwilson@bu.edu