Congrats Rick! One thing is for certain, Newt’s gone. It was nice to know you Newt. Loved your debate performance and intellect. It is unfortunate that you won’t be able to use it on Obama.
There is one chance for Newt, however. He could start running negative ads against Santorum. Those ads worked on Romney
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Wishful thinking. Newt has 9 political lives. He’ll come back, don’t you worry. Any and all of this could very well be playing right into his strategy. Do NOT underestimate him.
Go Newt!!!!!!!!!!!!
It seemed Romney was the favorite when Santorum stole his thunder in Iowa. Then Romney won NH and it seemed that inevitability line came up again. Newt took his legs out from under him in S Carolina. At about the same time, it came out that Santorum actually won Iowa.
Then it was Florida. Mitt won big and there was an actual coronation readied, and Nevada again brought the inevitability talk to the fore.
Santorum has stopped that dead in its tracks. Newt flat-lined in all those states. He owes Rick a back-channel 12 pack of Rick's favorite brew. (Yeungling? sp?)
Rick should be cheering like crazy for Newt in Georgia and vice versa Newt for Rick in Pennsylvania. Both should be sending flowers to Ron Paul in Virginia.
Without commenting on the relatives strengths and weaknesses of either Rick or Newt, they have helped it other at critical times. For anyone wanting to stop Mitt, that's a great outcome.
Especially, though, I find Santorum’s win in Colorado to be extremely significant. Colorado shares a very long border with Utah, Colorado has a large Mormon population, and Santorum carried Colorado easily. It stunned the pro-Mitt forces at Fox News.
Here is my explanation. Between the Catholic vote and the Dr Dobson vote (his HQ is in Colorado), social conservatives won that state for Rick. The evangelical leaders supported Santorum, and indirectly so did the Catholic Bishops. That tells us that the religious vote is extremely significant if it can be mobilized.
I do NOT have numbers to prove this. I haven't seen any exit polls. I'm simply basing this on assumptions.