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and put together very similar stories in recent days asking a simple question: What the heck are all of these no-shot presidential contenders doing in the GOP field?

Before the sparks fly, Decoder sympathizes - sort of - with Ron Paul supporters who are melting down right now at the suggestion that Paul belongs in this group. Yes, he polls above everyone else in the POLITICO photo montage shown above. And we would not put him remotely in the same category as, say, Buddy Roemer (anyone heard of him? We think not). But when it comes to Paul鈥檚 actual chances of winning the nomination鈥� C鈥檓on. It鈥檚 not going to happen.

Candidate by candidate, here is the DCDecoder take on why GOP presidential hopefuls 鈥� not named Rick Perry or Mitt Romney 鈥� are still hanging in there.

Ron Paul:

If you don鈥檛 think Paul is in it to win it, then he might be engaged to further the libertarian cause for his son, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (R). Paul鈥檚 鈥減retty motivated to win now,鈥� Paul鈥檚 New Hampshire campaign chairman, state Sen. Jim Forsythe, told POLITICO. 鈥淏ut I know a lot of people in the movement are looking at Rand Paul further down the road.鈥�

Gary Johnson:

Beat Ron/Rand Paul to the punch as the libertarian movement鈥檚 next standard bearer. Johnson鈥檚 campaign manager told POLITICO: 鈥淩on Paul is 76 years old, this is wearing him out. A lot of people will see that Ron is a fantastic prophet, and he鈥檒l need an Aaron at some point. I think that鈥檚 the way it鈥檚 going to go.鈥�

Herman Cain:

Elevate himself to 鈥減arty elder鈥� status. Cain, who has spent 0 percent of his life up to this point as a politician, could ensconce himself as a thought leader and part of the public face of a segment of the Republican party. (Also, he鈥檚 ).

Rick Santorum:

Rebuild brand Rick. Santorum, smarting after being absolutely dismantled in his third bid for the US Senate, has improved his public image by serious debate performances and his decent fourth-place finish in the Iowa straw poll. As the chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican party noted, Rick has seven kids and needs a job: he 鈥渋s exposing himself to a lot of different people, and a lot of different people will want him to work for them.鈥�

Buddy Roemer:

Get national attention for two issues that drive Buddy Roemer bonkers: big money campaign contributions and America鈥檚 trade policy with China.

Newt Gingrich:

A combination of Santorum and Roemer. Gingrich鈥檚 debate appearances let him show off his broad intellectual approach and help shape the GOP鈥檚 discussion of various issues. He may also be hanging in there to gain distance from his early gaffes, including his massive credit line at luxury jeweler Tiffany鈥檚, his vacation to Greece, staff defections, and his knock on Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan鈥檚 (R) budget plan. Brand Newt needs some time to rebound.
We would also add two other candidates - that escaped mention in these articles - to the list:

Jon Huntsman:

Playing for 2016. Huntsman is hoping his introduction to a national audience this year puts him in a better position to run in 2016 (if the GOP doesn鈥檛 win this year鈥檚 election, of course). At that point, Romney would likely be off the national scene and Huntsman would be a significant player in New Hampshire, where a recent poll put him in third place with 10 percent support.

Michele Bachmann:

Cement her status as a leader of the most conservative wing of the GOP and tea party. Bachmann has consistently portrayed herself as a 鈥渇ighter鈥� in the debates, recently arguing that conservatives should not 鈥渟ettle鈥� for a candidate who doesn鈥檛 represent their views well. While her momentum has died after winning the Iowa straw poll, Bachmann could solidify her role as . (Also, she鈥檚 ).

Want more?
Check out RealClearPolitics鈥� to see how the candidates stack up in the eyes of the public.

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