As the GOP comes to term with three different winners from three very different states in the wake of Mitt Romney’s Michigan victory, the Democrats’ Vegas debate set the scene for a truce on the race talk that’s been muddying the campaign over the last week. And hovering above it all like a big, black cloud, the Recession predictions continued to loom…

REPUBLICAN RACE:

Mitt splits the GOP: Can anyone bring the Republicans together again? The convincing victory by Mitt Romney in the Michigan primary on Tuesday means three very different states — with dissimilar electorates driven by distinctive sets of priorities — have embraced three separate candidates in search of someone who can lead the party into a tough election and beyond President Bush. — The New York Times

Everyone’s a winner!: At this rate, Thompson will win South Carolina and Giuliani Florida. The GOP primary is starting to look like a Pee Wee soccer tournament: Everyone gets a trophy!…Romney ran in Michigan the way many people thought he should have from the start: as a man from the business world who could fix their problems. He also pandered robustly. Romney told Michiganders he would protect them from the business cycle and save their jobs. — John Dickerson, Slate

Rich man wins in poor Michigan: The oddest thing about Romney’s win is that it came in a state in economic crisis–a place that you’d have expected to overwhelmingly reject a man who made millions as a downsizing consultant. You’d also have expected former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who pushed his economic populism here harder than his Christian Dominionism, to fare better. But there is no explaining Republican voters this year. Not even to themselves. — The Nation

Mitt’s Mormon training: According to his son Tagg, the two years Mitt Romney spent as a Mormon missionary in France were a defining moment in his political life. The poor fellow made his pitch thousands of times but won precious few converts. Watching his win in Michigan on Tuesday, we now know how Romney must have felt in France the day he finally made a sale. — Bruce Reed, Slate

GOP funk: Republicans are facing a threat that spells serious trouble for GOP candidates from the top of the ticket down to the most obscure races. The problem is the funk of the foot soldiers. So far, the story of the 2008 campaign on the Republican side is what’s not happening. — Politico

DEMOCRATS RACE:

The Vegas debate — heckler calls it like it is: Call it a landmark moment in the history of presidential debates: A heckler in the audience who seemed to speak for the vast majority of Americans….some guy started shouting from the back of the auditorium. “Will you stop all these race-based questions?” he hollered. There was an awkward pause around the big table where everyone sat. The moderators, Tim Russert and Brian Williams, looked guilty and confused. For two days, the cable networks had run wall-to-wall coverage of the race-tinged war of words between Obama supporters and Clinton supporters. One can imagine why the network thought the mudslinging would be the subject of the debate. — Time

Obama regains his voice: For the last week, you could sense the campaign obsessives becoming increasingly pessimistic about Obama’s chances. This happened for two reasons. First, an extensive discussion of race seemed to force Obama into the role of “black candidate.” Second, Hillary’s questions about the steadfastness of Obama’s war opposition made him look like a typical equivocating politician. The thinking was that Hillary would win if the race became a competition between a “white candidate” and a “black candidate,” or a race between two conventional candidates. Worse, Hillary seemed able to impose these frames on the race almost at will. If Obama ignored the charges, he risked having them stick. And if he engaged, he risked becoming exactly what he wanted to avoid–either an aggrieved African American or a bickering pol. That’s the way it looked until the last day or so, in any case. — The Stump,The New Republic

Hillary on Tyra: Asked to choose what reality TV program she would prefer to compete on, Hillary Clinton chose the popular “Dancing With the Stars.” “In my dreams I would be on ‘America’s Next Top Model’ but in reality I would have to choose my limited talents and of them dancing is better than singing,” Clinton said Monday during a taping of “The Tyra Banks Show.” “You do not want me to sing.” — CNN Political Ticker

Rove gets funny: Speaking at the RNC Winter Meeting in D.C., Karl Rove pokes fun at Hillary Clinton’s 15% edge over “Uncommitted” in the Michigan primary, and more than 20,000 votes for “the guy who believes in UFOs.” — The Huffington Post

Stop the race talk: For the sake of the Democratic Party’s electoral chances and its two historic candidates, two things must occur immediately. One, the racial and gender pitch of the last week must be ratcheted down. No Democrat can win a “racialized” or “genderized” general election. Identity obsession might work in the primaries, but it is off-putting in the general election. At the same time, of course, race is real in America. So is gender. Racism and gender bias are serious problems. Democrats have to find a way to talk about these issues in honest language – without either mouthing platitudes or breaking out in hives. To his credit, Obama has transcended typical discussions of race in this campaign so far. — Rev Floyd Flake, New York Daily News

Hillary started it: It does not matter which specific reference to race can be traced to whom. Obama’s campaign has resisted any temptation to campaign on race and, for an entire year, kept the issue off the front pages. Now, at the very moment that the crucial voting looms, the election is suddenly about race. Obviously, it is the Clintons’ doing. Remember the adage: Who benefits? As Super Tuesday nears, the Clintons will likely take their campaign to a new level, charging that Obama can’t win. They will never cite his skin color in this formulation, but it will be obvious to all voters what they mean: that a black cannot get elected. — Dick Morris, RealClearPolitics

Ad watch: Barack Obama’s cleverly named new Nevada ad, “Would,” has some gripping classical music in the background, high resolution stills, epic lighting, candid think-shots. Its elegance is sure to appeal to… the elite liberals already voting for him. Someone please get this guy to a muffler factory or a barbecue or a tirefire or something! — Wonkette

THE R WORD:

The recession election: We’re heading into a recession. People want a president who’ll fix the economy. A few weeks ago, Republican candidates, with the exception of Mike Huckabee, were cheering the Bush economy. Now, they know it’s going in the crapper and they don’t have be in Michigan to see it. Democrats were obsessed with Fallujah and Baghdad and were appalled at Bush deficits. Now they want big stimulus packages to keep the economy from tanking. — Portfolio.com

A different kind of recession: Republicans and Democrats argue over whose taxes should be cut the most and which projects should be funded, but, under public pressure to do something, they usually find some mutually acceptable midpoint and enact a stimulus package. Even in today’s hyperpartisan Washington, the odds still favor such a deal. This time, though, don’t expect that to be the end of the story — because the coming recession will not be normal, and our economy is not fundamentally sound. — Harold Meyerson, The Washington Post

On stimulus: Call this Lollipop Economics. It’s an election year. Voters feel anxious about a weakening economy. Send them economic lollipops (say, a $500 tax rebate for most families). Make them feel better. Show them you’re concerned. Prove that you’re trying to improve the economy. — Robert Samuelson, Newsweek