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Tea party activists coalescing behind Newt in South Carolina
The Daily Caller ^ | January 18, 2012 | Alex Pappas

Posted on 01/18/2012 8:44:07 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Have the tea partiers found their man to challenge President Obama?

The leader of South Carolina’s chapter of the Tea Party Patriots says they have — and it’s Newt Gingrich.

In an interview on Wednesday with The Daily Caller, Joe Dugan, who is also the chairman of the local Myrtle Beach Tea Party, said he sees increasing signs that conservative activists in the Palmetto State are beginning to coalesce around the former Speaker of the House.

“My sense is there is a growing coalition behind Newt Gingrich,” said Dugan, who organized a state tea party convention last weekend that both Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum attended.

Dugan personally supports Gingrich and said the board of the Myrtle Beach Tea Party has endorsed the former House speaker’s campaign.

He also made it clear that the tea partiers he knows are not fans of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is leading in many polls here ahead of Saturday’s primary.

“We don’t want somebody who is a moderate,” Dugan said, “that will try to compromise with Democrats to perpetuate the crises that we are encountering in this country.”

But no one candidate throughout the Republican primary has been able to consolidate the support of the tea party movement. National polls show that there is no clear “tea party” candidate — a recent CBS News/New York Times poll shows Romney and Gingrich essentially tied when it comes to tea party support nationally.

But if that is changing, it was symbolized Tuesday night when former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said on Fox News that if she was voting in the South Carolina primary, she would support Gingrich.

On Wednesday, a leader with the Tea Party Express organization told TheDC that Gingrich seems to have the most buzz among tea party activists heading into South Carolina’s primary. But he said there still isn’t a tea party consensus candidate.

“We poll continuously to monitor our people, and they have bounced from candidate to candidate as the national polls have shown as well,” strategist Sal Russo told TheDC. “Each of the major candidates has taken the lead in our poll for a period of time. Right now it is a pretty close race with our people. Gingrich leads, followed by Romney, Paul and Santorum.”

Russo said, “We had thought there would be a developing tea party consensus after our September debate and tour, but obviously that has not happened.”

Tea Party Express chairwoman Amy Kremer recently said the organization would endorse ahead of Saturday’s primary, but Russo told TheDC on Wednesday that “our goal is still to endorse if a consensus begins to develop, but we haven’t seen it… yet.”

Russo said it’s possible they “will just be supportive of all of the candidates and keep our focus on the Senate and House for the time being.”

“The gratifying thing for us is that all of the remaining candidates have appealed to tea party voters and each of them has significant support,” he said. “So I consider it a victory if we have multiple acceptable candidates.”


TOPICS: South Carolina; Campaign News; Issues; Parties
KEYWORDS: gingrich; newt; palin; romney; southcarolina; teaparty; teapartypatriots; teapartyrebellion
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Too late?
1 posted on 01/18/2012 8:44:11 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

BIG MISTAKE.

Newt is a self proclaimed progressive republican.


2 posted on 01/18/2012 8:47:16 PM PST by CSI007
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To: CSI007

And that leaves either Mittens or Rupaul. the other two are behind them.


3 posted on 01/18/2012 8:49:33 PM PST by Mmogamer (I refudiate the lamestream media, leftists and their prevaricutions.)
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To: CSI007
Newt is the only candidate who has a chance in hell of saving this nation. Too bad you don't get it, but so what.

The world will move on without you, einstein.

4 posted on 01/18/2012 8:52:45 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: CSI007

No. But they have found their man to try and stop Romney.


5 posted on 01/18/2012 8:55:46 PM PST by RIghtwardHo
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To: hinckley buzzard

Newt is a phoney. He won’t save this nation. Newt wows all you moderates with his dazzling grasp of the English language and knowledge of the constitution. But he doesn’t give a damn about founding fathers principles and applying them to governing a free nation.

He is a coward who sells out the conservative cause to sit on a couch with one of the most evil, vile people on the face of the earth. He endorses liberal republicans when real, solid conservatives had chances to win races.

He even lost the support of many solid conservatives who served with him in congress because he is not who he claims to be.

Do some research about this phoney and you will see the light. That is unless of course all you are interested in is pushing the liberal agenda forward from the GOP side of the isle.


6 posted on 01/18/2012 8:59:49 PM PST by CSI007
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

They’d better stay behind him after ABC turns it’s TV network over to a vindictive ex-wife tomorrow night...

On the other hand, maybe people will ignore the smears and stand firm. People of SC aren’t dumb or easily fooled by RAT dirty tricks.


7 posted on 01/18/2012 9:01:38 PM PST by bigbob
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To: CSI007

I WAS a Cain guy. I am sick and tired of seeing our candidates attacked in this manner, and will not see another conservative fall because of innuendo and slander.


8 posted on 01/18/2012 9:01:58 PM PST by Thunder90 (Fighting for truth and the American way... http://citizensfortruthandtheamericanway.blogspot.com/)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"How DARE YOU choose your own nominee. That's MY job."


9 posted on 01/18/2012 9:04:20 PM PST by WeatherGuy
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Too Late?

Quite possibly just right.

But if that is changing, it was symbolized Tuesday night when former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said on Fox News that if she was voting in the South Carolina primary, she would support Gingrich.

That is probably getting around FAST. And folks want to know why Gov. Palin said that so they will look into Newt and see the professional skills in the fundamentals of correctly managing this nation he possesses.

Also, "current" poling data generally lags a day or two. The trend has Newt climbing. It can be enough to score Newt a win.

Speaking of which, has anyone heard the final determination of Iowa?

.

10 posted on 01/18/2012 9:04:28 PM PST by TLI ( ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Too Late?

Quite possibly just right.

But if that is changing, it was symbolized Tuesday night when former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said on Fox News that if she was voting in the South Carolina primary, she would support Gingrich.

That is probably getting around FAST. And folks want to know why Gov. Palin said that so they will look into Newt and see the professional skills in the fundamentals of correctly managing this nation he possesses.

Also, "current" poling data generally lags a day or two. The trend has Newt climbing. It can be enough to score Newt a win.

Speaking of which, has anyone heard the final determination of Iowa?

.

11 posted on 01/18/2012 9:04:28 PM PST by TLI ( ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA)
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To: Thunder90

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi314LJ6uwM

Listen to him....in his own words.


12 posted on 01/18/2012 9:06:04 PM PST by CSI007
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To: TLI
The response so nice I posted it twice!

.

13 posted on 01/18/2012 9:06:40 PM PST by TLI ( ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA)
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To: CSI007
That is unless of course all you are interested in is pushing the liberal agenda forward...

Let me get this straight. You think that favoring Newt is 'pushing the liberal agenda forward'? Is Palin 'pushing the liberal agenda forward'?

14 posted on 01/18/2012 9:07:01 PM PST by death2tyrants
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’m glad to see that we won’t have Romney shoved down our throats without a fight. However, this says more about Palin and Romney than it does Newt.


15 posted on 01/18/2012 9:07:21 PM PST by freedomfiter2 (Brutal acts of commission and yawning acts of omission both strengthen the hand of the devil.)
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To: Thunder90

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T76lD4zV1bo&feature=related

Yeah, Newt is a conservative all right...

Get real. Listen to what the man says!

This is the same crap that gave us Obama. Obama was saying the same stuff before he was elected. No one was listening though. Obama is following through with what he said he would do.

Elect Newt and we are all in a world of hurt. We need a REAL conservative to lead us back from the brink. Newt is not that man. At best Newt is another GWB clone.


16 posted on 01/18/2012 9:10:20 PM PST by CSI007
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To: death2tyrants

Look at my videos of Newt in this thread...

And this one too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siOmQVSx5E4

Does that sound like a CONSERVATIVE to you? If it does then the definition of conservative must have changed since I joined the cause.


17 posted on 01/18/2012 9:12:38 PM PST by CSI007
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To: CSI007

“Newt is a self proclaimed progressive republican.”

Is that you Glenn Beck? Progressive’s don’t balance the budget and reform welfare. GO NEWT GO!


18 posted on 01/18/2012 9:14:53 PM PST by Parley Baer
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To: CSI007

If Newt ends up winning the primary, are you going to vote for Obama?? I am not a Romney guy, but if Romney wins the primary, I sure hell ain’t going to vote for Obama. Same applies to any GOP primary winner. Disagree but let us also grow up.


19 posted on 01/18/2012 9:14:53 PM PST by Fee
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To: CSI007

Give it up. We’ve swung around together to stomp zero’s *#&_ into the dirt, and whoever your guy is is too late to the party.


20 posted on 01/18/2012 9:16:44 PM PST by txhurl (EVERYONE is losing their virginity in this election. -Marty60)
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