Barry O likes this.

The battle for Florida has turned ugly. More than policies, more than ideologies, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are trading blows at the lowest level of politics: personal attacks.

After last week’s debates, Gingrich made it known that he was unhappy over the decision to disallow audience members from cheering or applauding candidates. Even as Romney leads his rival by double digits in Florida’s preliminary polls, he went out of his way to label Gingrich “Goldilocks” for his dissatisfaction over the varying debate conditions. With such a healthy lead, did Romney gain anything from this other than smug self-satisfaction? Is this what American politics has come to? Name-calling?

And as the numbers stack up against Newt Gingrich in Florida, his antics have become increasingly frantic. Though he previously stated that he would abstain from negative ads against fellow presidential candidates, his rhetoric has become just as vitriolic as those of Romney.

The former Speaker repeated his accusation that Romney was a dishonest man and that Romney is backed by Wall Street investment banks, which are held responsible by many of running the economy into the ground.

All signs point to Romney winning the crucial Florida GOP primary, buoyed by the effect of his constant barrage of attacks on Gingrich’s history. The former Massachusetts governor is keen to point out that his rival “resigned in disgrace” and that his numerous ethics violations, to say nothing of his personal baggage, reveal a man of fantastical ideas and little else.

Our favorite political pundit Sarah Palin remarked that the GOP was cannibalizing itself in each candidate trying to outdo the other. For once, I have to agree. With Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich expending all their energy against each other—revealing their weaknesses of character and hurting their respective chances for party-wide support—what will they have left for our friend in the White House come November?

Meanwhile, it sure bodes well for our incumbent.