Posted on 01/13/2012 6:32:21 AM PST by RoosterRedux
There are now just two people standing between Mitt Romney and the GOP presidential nomination -- Newt Gingrich and Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire financier of Newt's super PAC.
All the other Republican candidates have faded, like Jon Huntsman, or they're about to fade, like Rick Santorum whose hot Iowa hand didn't last, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, whose decision to stay in the race is a South Carolina dream come true for Romney, and a real setback for southern politician Gingrich.
Gingrich, despite his many faults, is the only contender with enough stature to make this an ongoing race, especially with his friend's money keeping his hopes alive.
But for Newt to have any chance of stopping Romney, two things have to happen. First, everyone else needs to drop out (with the exception of Ron Paul, whose base is so independent that his appeal to voters in the remaining primaries, many of which have limited or no participation by independents, is diminishing before our eyes.) Second, Newt has to make the tough, personal decision that he's in it for the long haul.
Romney has run a strong race, but there remain many "not-Romney" voters in the GOP whose votes have been fruitlessly split among four or five other candidates. So long as Perry, Santorum and Gingrich are in the game, the game is over and Romney wins.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Santorum is the one pulling the sufficient number of votes.
Perry to this point is not.
Unless or until he does, he is not the problem. What happened when Bachmann got out? Nothing of significance, that’s what.
This is between Gingrich and Santorum for the not Romney. That might change at some point but now is now.
As long as those two are splitting a large pile of votes, and Perry is barely registering, there’s no logic in calling for Perry to drop out. If he drops out, it should be because he could no longer maintain a campaign, or personal choice, whatever.
To lump him in with Santorum is silly...at this point.
I would make the point that candidates cannot make their supporters vote for anybody. When you say...throw your support to another...you can only do that if it’s at a convention and you control delegates. To think you can force voters to do something because you dropped out and said so, is a false assumption.
People are nervous about Newt. He is volatile. That’s a fact.
I don’t support him for several reasons, but if I were to cast every principled reason aside, I would still worry that you can’t know from one second to the next what he’ll say or do. Looking at him over many years, some of this somewhat evens out. But in the heat of a campaign?
Remember McCain saying he would stop campaigning and return to Washington bc of the financial crisis? He never recovered from that. It was all down hill.
Who knows what it would be with Newt?
That said, I don’t support him for reasons of principle.
Of course, Romney is worse. That doesn’t make the situation any less murky.
Perry is a favorite one to blame for everything and to order around. I don’t appreciate it. To put it nicely.
I wasn’t impressed with Santorum till I saw one of his town meetings in NH. He’s excellent at the retail level. He’s better there than in the debates. The herd will follow whoever gets the momentum. Newt’s in a balancing act. When he attacks Romney he drives up both Romney’s and his own negatives. I suspect Romney and Gingrich will drop lower in SC. Santorum could pick up there, but he doesn’t have much time to retail, and I notice Ron Paul is targeting him now. Paul will try to keep Santorum down, because Newt isn’t the breakout threat to Romney anymore. I also think Santorum polls well among women, and that could be important.
Newt BUMP!
As far as I can tell, the only person Newt can defeat is himself.
America can kick herself squarely in the a$$ after this election should Newton not win. Never before has a clearer line, distinction been drawn.
We have the Left promoting the abortion of our Constitution, the Right offering the "GOP Standard Bearer", a loon, a few wanna be's and………
a rational, seasoned, combative former Speaker of the House.
Damn the choice is just mind-boggling, isn't it?
Perhaps I need to run out and buy a television so I'll "really" know what the hell is going on around my pathetic uninitiated self?!?!
Oooooh, I LOVE “sweater vest men”! ;^) GO RICK, GO!
"This whole idea of personal autonomy, well I don’t think most conservatives hold that point of view. Some do. They have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do, government should keep our taxes down and keep our regulations low, that we shouldn’t get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn’t get involved in cultural issues. You know, people should do whatever they want. Well, that is not how traditional conservatives view the world and I think most conservatives understand that individuals can’t go it alone." [Source]
"What was my vision? I came to the uncomfortable realization that conservatives were not only reluctant to spend government dollars on the poor, they hadn’t even thought much about what might work better. I often describe my conservative colleagues during this time as simply ‘cheap liberals.’ My own economically modest personal background and my faith had taught me to care for those who are less fortunate, but I too had not yet given much thought to the proper role of government in this mission." –Rick Santorum, p. IX It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good (2005)
"I suspect some will dismiss my ideas as just an extended version of ‘compassionate conservatism.’ Some will reject what I have said as a kind of ‘Big Government Conservatism.’ Some will say that what I’ve tried to argue isn’t conservatism at all. But I believe what I’ve been presenting is the genuine conservatism our Founders envisioned. One that fosters the opportunity for all Americans to live as we are called to live, in selfless families that contribute to the general welfare, the common good." –Rick Santorum, p. 421 It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good (2005)
Santorum seems to be the only one with a shot to top Romney and then Obama. It sure is a sad bunch we were saddled with again.
Newt beat Santorum in N.H.
Friends I live almost like a monk, my retirement income doesn't go far in this Obama economy, but I figure out ways to support candidates I like and support Free Republic.
We are facing Hell on Earth if we don't change the course!
Contributions don't need to be a lot, 10 bucks multiplied by hundreds adds up fast!
Newt may not ring your chimes with everything he says but he is smart enough to know who else is listening, and it isn't only you!
ping #26 :-)
In an honest debate that would be true, but the POTUS debates will be anything but honest. It doesn't matter who our candidate is, Obumbles and his media supporters will pick every topic and make all the rules.
Question for Obumbles: Why do you care so much about hungry children, widows, the middle class, and fuzzy puppies?
Question for Newt ( Mutt, Perry, Santorum) : You have always hated the poor, middle class, seniors, and favored rich wall street thugs, Why is that?
Which is exactly why Newt will be perfect for the job of debating Obama. He’s the only one that extracts the duplicitous premise of such questions, and turns it back around on the questioner. The rest of them just obliviously wander right into such traps and go full steam ahead with their talking points.
Yikes!
From the start, there were something about him that just didn’t sit well with me, but wow...
May God guide our course.
Tatt
You are right-it will be exactly the way you say it will.
But I am pretty confident that Newt is smart, experienced and RUTHLESS enough to navigate a debate venue like what you describe. He certainly will acquit himself WAY better than Mitt would do or is capable of doing.
It’s time for Conservatives to field a candidate with CLAWS and TEETH. That is not Mitt.
Yes its either Newt or Willard. I keep praying Newt takes SC. If so the polls in FL should swing back his way and he will defintely take GA and a bunch of super Tues. states. Newt is strong enough to take Obama down.
Newt is better at debates, but Perry wins on the issues and his record. Either of the two can beat Obumbles, the others would lose.
Newt Gingrich, forget it!!! Three reasons to turn Gingrich into burnt toast immediately:
- Love affair with Democrat Nancy Pelosi
- Love affair with ultra liberal, Dede Scozzafava, NY23
- Love affair with Democrat James Clyburn
Gingrich will sell his soul!!! I, for one, do not want a traitor like Newt Gingrich to be my POTUS!!! NY23 should have been ours. Sitting with Nancy Pelosi is treason. Hobnobbing with the likes of James Clyburn is unforgivable!!!
Oh, please. Another Washington insider thinking the best candidate in the race should drop out so HIS candidate would have a better chance.
Washington insiders both in and out of congress are afraid of Rick Perry.
They’re afraid he really means it when he says he would make government less intrusive in our lives.
And he does!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.