Posted on 02/12/2012 7:08:56 PM PST by NKP_Vet
PORTLAND, Maine (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has a Rick Santorum problem that can't be easily swept aside, even with wins in the sparsely attended Maine caucuses and a poll of conservative activists.
The former Massachusetts governor arguably has fewer effective weapons against Santorum than he was able to pull out against Newt Gingrich after getting a thumping in South Carolina from the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
As they battled for the 2012 Republican nomination, Romney attacked Gingrich on several fronts, scoring a big hit with ads focused on Gingrich's ethics violations in Congress.
The attacks helped carry Romney to front-runner status in the race to face Democratic President Barack Obama in November -
until Santorum roared back into the winner's circle with three victories last week in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri.
But his criticism of the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania has been confined to subjects like his support for spending bills and local spending projects known as earmarks"
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The media will smear Santorum as “the guy with crazy religious beliefs”. Watch for it.
I think Rick Santorum is going to keep this surge going and change this race for good. That being said, I think that Rick and Gingrich will work together and go for a brokered convention where they can negotiate their delagates into a combined majority. I think this may be their unspoken combined strategy at this point.
And end with Palin-Santorum---WOO HOO!
Romney could call him on his refusal to endorse care mandates, but that would be a dumb call. Where does Santorum stand on national heath care? And Romney could call him on his admirable rejection of the global warming hoax, and accuse him of being a "denier." But how good a tangling point would that be?
If I was a gambler, I'd lay odds that if Santorum drops out, he'll end up endorsing Romney. I know it in my gut.
Godspeed Newt Gingrich.
What is to worry afterall, he is now referred to himself like a ‘Richie Cunningham’ candidate. Let the vetting begin. Newt had his. Now Rick’s turn. Undecideds need to know.
Williard. Call Bill and Hill, they have Rick’s FBI file.
I agree with you, this is looking more and more like either an outright Santorum win, or a brokered convention with Santorum and Gingrich (old friends) teaming up to deny Romney the nomination.
If the man just had something to say that resonates with conservatives, he could run on that instead of his predictable and tiresome PAC attack politics of personal destruction.
Whatever happens, not saying that Newt didn't have reason to, but if Santorum pouts and whines like Gingrich did for mic and camera, he's toast too.
They've figured out how to make Newt make Newt look bad. Now it's Santorum's turn.
I would say at least 3 to 1.
The tide is turning and the deranged Santorum hate from the Newt people is wearing thin.
I think Rick's rise began when he was endorsed by Mark Levin.
So Mitt will go easy on Rick. There is always the risk that Rick could take the nomination, but Mitt's bet would be that Rick cannot achieve that. By keeping good relations, Mitt will look forward to Rick's ultimate endorsement or, at a minimum, neutrality.
Mitt's silence is not due to lack of ammunition. Mitt never had a problem making stuff up. A Mitt strategy is at work here.
Long term, character counts. We conservatives shouldn’t be wasting our resources supporting creeps, even if they are conservative.
Mitt doesn't have to go after Rick, the Paulbot attack apes—and a few deranged Santorum haters on Newt's side—will do the smears and leave his hands clean.
The things that Mitt could attack Santorum on are things he supports. He’s in a quandry. If Romney attacks Rick’s social conservatism it will prove that Romney is still just a NE moderate which most who are objective conclude already but it would be a bit harder to make the case that Romney is a conservative if he is to cast Santorum’s mainstream views on Life and Marriage as extreme.
Romney has huge problem once again and that is he is 10-15 points behind Santorum in Michigan. Santorum has a message that appeals to blue collar union workers so it isn’t unlikely that he could take that state. Those who want to pigeon hole Santorum as just a social conservative are just not being honest. Rick was not my first choice or even my 4th but then neither was Gingrich but they are what we have. We can thank them both for solid work on Welfare Reform, Balanced Budgets, Health Care Savings accounts, and social conservatism that doesn’t mean they are blameless and do not have flaws but the key thing for me is they both have a record that includes some very impressive conservative accomplishments something that Romney does not.
Ron Paul is unfortunately just a tease. He should give the money back that his devoted followers are sending him because he isn’t doing anything to win and seems to not care one iota about alienating Americans that care about national security with his silly moral equivalency tirades.
We have what we have and I’ll support the candidate who has a conservative record who wins.
You had better believe it. If it doesn’t come from Romney now, it will come from Obama later.
And you know what? It will stick. We had all better hope Santorum’s star fades soon, or we’re truly toast.
I disagree it very easy targets for Newt..
Willard is a moderate maybe worse when in office..
Santorum does NOT WANT the federal government to be gutted..
Only Newt has a plan to fillet the federal government..
Rich still wants to improve a failed system..
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.