Romney Looks Past Weekend’s Primary as Rivals Find New Hope

FLORENCE, S.C. — Mitt Romney delivered a 13-minute speech here on Tuesday morning, shook hands with an audience that filled only a small part of a ballroom and caught a plane for a fund-raising gala in New York, a clear sign that he is looking beyond South Carolina.

The outward confidence in Mr. Romney’s posture belied a deeply uncertain and fluid conclusion to the Republican presidential primary here. His rivals have shifted away from assailing his business record and are reminding conservatives through radio and television advertisements about the health care bill he signed as governor of Massachusetts and about his prior support for abortion rights.

The heated bickering between Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, which intensified Tuesday, delighted the Romney campaign.

For all the muscle of the Romney organization, its best path to victory in the South Carolina voting on Saturday is to keep the support for Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Santorum divided, with Gov. Rick Perry of Texas capturing enough votes to prevent one of them from overtaking Mr. Romney.

But a strong debate performance on Monday night by Mr. Gingrich, a former House speaker, seemed to replenish a shine that had tarnished in recent days while he aggressively attacked Mr. Romney’s role in buying and selling companies at the investment firm Bain Capital. Mr. Gingrich delivered a blunt message to conservatives on Tuesday, suggesting that a vote for anyone else would be a waste.

I am becoming more and more convinced that Gingrich is the go to guy to beat Romney and it is just so sad that there are still three in the race to split the “not Romney vote”. The scum bag will slide into the nomination just like McCain did and we’ll lose just like with McCain if he does.

My vote is effectively meaningless, By the time of our open primary here in Illinois, it will have already been decided.

“I am becoming more and more convinced that Gingrich is the go to guy to beat Romney and it is just so sad that there are still three in the race to split the “not Romney vote”. The scum bag will slide into the nomination just like McCain did and we’ll lose just like with McCain if he does.

My vote is effectively meaningless, By the time of our open primary here in Illinois, it will have already been decided.”

Hey I wouldn’t give up yet. Don’t buy the establishment media B.S. about Romney’s “inevitability.” They’ve shown to me that their constant pushing of this narrative is a sign that they are trying to convince THEMSELVES of this eventuality.

The most telling sign the other day was Yahoo/AP running a headline titled something like “Romney Opens Up 21 Point Lead in S.C.” Then you look into it a little and find out it’s a freaken INTERNET poll! Since when has a supposedly credible media outlet EVER even REPORTED on this type of poll, much less made it one of their lead wire stories?

No, they want you to have this type of reaction like there’s nothing you can do, cause they know that it is highly likely after S.C. that at least 1 of the 3 conservatives will drop out, then there will be further consolidation. They also know that the Liberal Romney brand doesn’t play too well down south, and if the GOP voters think there is a viable conservative alternative they will flock to him. One last thing, this primary will be unlike any other because of there are no “winner take all” contests until April. This makes for a protracted battle by design.

So to counter all these factors working against them, they are desperately trying to cement into our heads the narrative that this year is just like any other election cycle and “whoever wins the first few contests becomes the nominee.” I don’t buy it and neither should you.

I don’t think it’s over yet, even if Romney wins SC and Florida.

Florida is an expensive TV market. Therefore, if Perry comes in 5th as expected, I think he will drop out.

That will leave Newt and Santorum vs Romney. Even if both stay in, and Romney wins Florida, he’d still have less than 100 delegates.

I think one would drop out then.

And going forward into Super Tuesday, with 500 delegates up for grabs, it would be Non-Romney vs Romney, one on one.

It is not be over. Even if Romney wins SC and Florida.

RE: the demand from the media and Rat Party (formerly the traditional Democratic Party) that Romney release his business records.

Absolute, irrefutable proof that the MSM are SCUM, Obama's servile, complaisant, undistinguished media -- Obama SCUM.

The Obama SCUM have demand that Romney release his records -- and at the same time scream "racist nut-case birther" at anyone asking for similar documents from Obama -- and IMO similar means documents from which one can judge fairly a person.

Thus work, financial records from Romney and work, academic records from Obama.

Throw in a demand for Romney's academic records also, fine! Romney has nothing to hide unlike the affirmative action dim-wit Americans were tricked into electing president.

Newt would be crazy to get out after SC even if he comes in second. Santorum will not have the money to compete in Fl and Perry will probably drop out. Ron Paul will not be a factor in Fl as its a closed primary and all the libs and independents cannot vote. On super tuesday Newt will take GA for sure with either 76 or 78 delegates and probably most of the south. Its still a horse race.

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