Many, many emails reacting to my “Smartypants” post yesterday. Most disagreed with the envy theory.

John: — Good observation. But how then to explain the popularity of a JFK who made it a daily point to remind us, in many little ways, how much “cooler” he and his tribe were than the rest of us?

[Me] It was JFK’s coolth that got him through the envy thing. We can accept a cool alpha male.

Dear Mr. Derbyshire, — Maybe it’s just me (41 and still single), but I just don’t understand why any rational male voter would envy Romney rather than McCain. On the one hand we have a roguish guy who at age 43 scored a babe who was 1) 25, 2) a beauty queen and 3) a rich heiress. On the other hand we have a dull nerd who married his high school sweetheart and never had a drink in his life. Feh!

[Me] Nursing a mild hangover after carousing around Chinatown with Noah Millman till the wee hours, I am quite pro-Mitt on this one.

Oh yeah, Happy New Year, whatever.