Posted on 02/15/2012 7:09:46 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Via BuzzFeed. As expected, they’re going hard after his fiscal heresies. I’m giving you Santorum’s new ad here too, which is noteworthy first because he touts his tea-party cred (ironic) and second because he’s now making electability a core component of his pitch. No other Not Romney has been in that position before — but the numbers do back him up, for now:
One thing that has remained constant in the ever changing GOP Presidential race is that Mitt Romney is the strongest candidate against Barack Obama…at least until now. PPP’s newest national poll finds Romney trailing Obama by 7 points at 49-42, while Santorum trails by only 5 points at 49-44…
Santorum’s net favorability is 21 points better than Romney’s. Santorum’s at -7 (39/46), while Romney is at -28 (29/57). That’s mostly because Republicans like Santorum a lot better (+40 at 62/22 to Romney’s +2 at 43/41). But Santorum also does a good deal better with independents, coming in at -6 (40/46) to Romney’s -23 (32/55). In the head to heads Obama leads Romney by 9 with independents, but has only a 4 point advantage on Santorum with that group.
Santorum’s also viewed slightly more favorably by independents than Romney is, and his favorable rating among Republicans is now a point better than Mitt’s — thanks to a 13-point surge since last month among Republicans who lack a college degree. Gonna be awfully hard for Santorum to resist going full metal populist on Romney if those numbers hold or even improve. On the other hand:
I’m amazed that Mitt’s numbers are perfectly steady over the past month. I guess the loss in South Carolina to Newt, the big win in Florida, and then the kinda meaningless but kinda not sweep by Santorum in the midwest last week all canceled each other out. But this is what I meant in yesterday’s post about a potential Romney death spiral: What happens if/when these perceptions of his electability start to fade? If Santorum beats him on his own turf in Michigan, will undecideds and other tepid Romney supporters start to break toward Sweater Vest because they finally believe that he really might win? See why Michigan is so huge now?
Exit question: Will Romney challenge Santorum’s supposed electability on grounds that his social views are too far right? Don’t look now but there’s already a gender gap developing between them.
LOL.
If this was put on ads and billboards it would sink Rick's campaign. My Conservatism is directly in line with the Founders. They had a hostility towards government and rightfully thought of government as inherently evil. They above all wanted a weak central government, at odds with itself
The quote by Rick that you posted it chilling in it's implications. I know the before and after of the quote -- heard it. It is not something that is "taken out of context." It reflects the true inner Rick -- one who would seek to use the power of the State to "bend" citizens to follow his view of the ideal citizen.
Rick has absolutely no problem with big government -- as long as it seeks to do what is good in Rick's eyes.
Our Fonders rightfully knew that government should try it's best to leave the citizens the h*ll alone.
This is a multi-faceted war, for sure.
I always thought conservatism embraced BOTH social and fiscal responsibility, but apparently Santorum supporters don’t give a whit about the fiscal because Santorum sure doesn’t.
His record, his ACTUAL, DOCUMENTED RECORD is atrocious.
You’re right.
No Romney. No way.
I refuse to listen to him or his filthy ads.
Like my husband says, (whom I think is a brilliant man) Newt was running a postive campaign and running away with this election on solid solutions and substance, but now we’re currently reduced candidates running on platitudes, with no real thoughtful plans or radical solutions for voters to read and absorb.
He said, we had the perfect opportunity to do the right and bold thing for America, but the stupid Republicans look like they’re blowing it again, and will likely put up the wrong man again to run against the Marxist.
His prayers are obviously for Newt Gingrich.
He is very glad, but not surprised, Colonel North endorsed Newt Gingrich.
He is also disgusted, but not surprised, that his old classmate, John McCain is right by Romney's side. (Shared political philosophies).
Doc O is a great man! Prayers up for Newt!!
Excellent suggestion.
Smart man, yo hubby!
GO NEWT!!!
Why is a Hillsdale College prof on a conference call supporting Romney?
Actually, Santorum only attacked Romney on the issues, he made fun of him for being so negative and attacking the other candidates with smears.
Well put. All things considered, Santorum is the most reasonable choice.
I have the same disdain and distrust for Mitt Romney I have for Bill Clinton and 0bama. He is one rotten son of a b*tch.
When you look at how this campaign has unfolded, you can see Republican voters have been constantly seeking an alternative to Romney. Bachmann, Perry, Cain and Gingrich have all been the “front runner” at one point or another. Romney pretty much did in Perry, Cain and Gingrich with negative ads and Dirty Tricks.
Now that Republican voters have come to settle on Rick Santorum as the alternative, we knew Romney would come out with guns a blazing. But it won’t work this time. There is nowhere else for Conservatives to turn to other than back to Gingrich. Ricks is too clean to nail these things on him. But if Romney succeeds in smearing him, the Conservatives will just go back to Newt.
Newt is still my top choice. I can easily accept Santorum if he pulls it off. But I will NEVER accept Mitt Romney. I will not vote for him for any office. Not even dog catcher or the guy who cleans up road kill.
He's a target rich environment. It is imperative voters know what they're buying into.
His electability argument is questionable at best. His own history in PA shows he's weak with women. Even in a very good reelection year or him (52% vs 46%), 2000, Santorum only tied his Dem opponent among women voters. In 2006, he lost 61% of women to his opponent.
Late on threads today...Clever.
rS ad that is shown today on TV was clever and funny. That
s step three IIRC keep em funny and at the mental level of your audience.
Late on threads today...Clever.
rS ad that is shown today on TV was clever and funny. That
s step three IIRC keep em funny and at the mental level of your audience.
Late on threads today...Clever.
rS ad that is shown today on TV was clever and funny. That
s step three IIRC keep em funny and at the mental level of your audience.
Late on threads today...Clever.
rS ad that is shown today on TV was clever and funny. That
is step three of Alinsky IIRC keep em funny and at the mental level of your audience.
Hopefully people will realize that this gender gap exists for Newt and exists for Santorum because most women are not conservative, even Republican women. It’s not because of Newt’s marriage history or his looks, it’s because of his political views. Chasing the women’s vote means you’ll have to pick a moderate/liberal candidate. I suggest writing the women who aren’t already voting for conservatives off and focusing on increasing male turnout at the polls. Nothing wrong with trying to play up stuff that women should care about like gas prices, food prices, etc., but that’s much less likely to be effective than trying to increase male turnout. College-educated women are trained and bred to be liberals. Few who succumbed to that bias are going to be able to shed it through logic alone.
Why does Mitt Romney need to run attacks ads on Rick Santorum when Newt’s people are already doping the dirty work attacking Rick ?
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