The jobs number this morning...

...came out a little better than expected. Non-farm payrolls were down by less-than-expected, private payrolls were up by more-than-expected and the previous months' revisions were all better. In addition, average hourly earnings were up and blah, blah, blah.

This is all an excuse to reiterate my prediction for 2012: President Obama will win reelection in a landslide, or at least by a higher margin than in '08.

Why? Because the economy will be seen as on the mend by that time. And because the Republicans -- encouraged by their midterm gains in 2010 -- will nominate someone from the base who will be seen as too extreme by the general populace.

Remember Reagan-Mondale in '84.