Posted on 03/07/2012 6:11:49 PM PST by Steelfish
March 8 Republican Split Decision Romney had a good night but Santorum has cause to fight on.
If Republican poohbahs were hoping that Super Tuesday's 10 contests would settle the Republican primary contest, they woke up Wednesday disappointed. While Mitt Romney had a good night and stretched his lead among delegates, Rick Santorum did well enough to more than justify staying in the race.
The good news for Mr. Romney is that he won easily where he had to—in New England and Virginia—and went on to win narrowly the crucial showdown in Ohio. The pundits made much of the large vote for Ron Paul in Vermont and Virginia, which was no doubt a protest vote against Mr. Romney or the entire field. But the former Massachusetts Governor still gathered most of the delegates and it appeared more than 40 of 49 delegates in Virginia.
Mr. Romney did well with what is becoming a familiar coalition: party regulars, college grads and those making more than $100,000 a year, voters who think the economy is the most important issue, and those who think he has the best chance of defeating President Obama.
It's clear that most tea partiers and the most conservative voters still prefer another candidate, but Mr. Romney won enough of them to prevail. His pro-growth 20% tax cut and tax reform outline, unveiled before Michigan, have been important to winning over conservative skeptics who favor substance over biography. Two weeks ago he was trailing Mr. Santorum badly in Ohio, and exit polls showed Mr. Romney picking up the bulk of those who decided in the last week.
Yet Mr. Santorum also did well in Ohio because he continues to carve out pluralities among tea party supporters, cultural conservatives, younger voters, and those who didn't attend college and aren't affluent.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
So?
Let THEM vote for somebody they don’t like for a change. Why’s it always got to be us?
By far this is the most compelling reason for Gingrich to withdraw now and not keep further splitting the conservative vote allowing Romney to sneak through and win major states by squeaker margins.
If in a bell-weather state like Ohio, nearly one-half of primary Republican voters would not like to see Gingrich as the GOP nominee, then as the WSJ article points out, this is not a good sign of electability. Coupled with the fact that he lost and lost badly in nearby TN and OK is proof positive that the Gingrich candidacy is now up in flames.
Doesn’t that mean 52% would like Gingrich.
So, what you’re saying is that; [52% Ohio Republicans “Satisfied” if Gingrich Were The GOP Nominee...]
Guess what? One half of Republican primary voters don’t like Santorum and don’t like Romney either. That’s what happens when you have multiple candidates running in a primary.
I say it’s high time to tally around the most conservative guy remaining in the race - Newt Gingrich. If we can;t do that, then it’s time to scrap the GOP, tell the GOP-E to take a long walk off a short pier, and start over.
Yeah, I get it. It’s entirely okay for me to hold my nose and vote for a candidate I’m “dissatisfied” with. But, I shouldn’t expect the other half of the base to do the same. I’m sick of the this “electability” mantra being crammed down my throat.
I want to encourage everyone to research the candidates. We shouldn’t vote for someone just because they aren’t Obama. Many people voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976, and all because he wasn’t Gerald Ford!
I despise Romney!
Exit polls in Ohio indicated that Romney is getting moderates and dissatisfied Democrats, liberals who will not vote for a do-over by BHO2.
I suspect that is why the GOPe have been promoting Romney. As he was a liberal-governing Massachusetts, he can attract liberal Democrats away from BHO2.
For Romney, and Wall Street in particular, are Globalists who care not a wit for conservative values. First and foremost, they see themselves as world citizens, responsible for maintaining peace and security world-wide through commerce. And of course, getting rich is important, too, as it keeps the military ‘machine’ primed and ready to maintain the all important security overseas.
Unfortunately, that military is paid for by tax revenue and staffed by the sons and daughters of people who no longer have jobs, as those have all been moved offshore by the above mentioned “world citizens”.
For those who do not know what I’m talking about, here’s a quick primer.
This election in 2012 is all about money, power, and who will eventually wield both here at home and internationally.
Gov.Mitt Romney is the candidate for the elitist Republicans who are, in essense, supporters of Globalism.
Wall Street’s business model is international in scope and must have security overseas in order for commerce to thrive. In an attempt to dominate international commerce AND the monetary structure, the U.S.A. must project military strength world wide. This is neither conservative nor liberal in orientation and both Democrats and Republicans have been involved over the decades.
Until Obama arrived on the scene. He’s all about Global Social Justice (communism) which means redistributing wealth.
The only thing that matters to Republican Globalists is making money for themselves. They don’t give a damn about the rights of individuals. The common man or woman on the street is just a “unit” to be taxed or obliterated, it matters not to them.
The last thing they want is for conservatives with Bibles and guns asserting their God-given rights and demanding that Washington, D.C., changes how it does business.
Senator Rick Santorum made big bucks selling his ability to get legislation passed for the Globalists above. For the past month I’ve been researching this man and he is not the staunch conservative he wants all of us to believe.
Ron Paul is a shill for Romney. Many Texans are embarrassed now, as they believed Paul’s lies.
Newt Gingrich has promised to change how Washington, D.C., does business.
The U.S. is $16 TRILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT. The five major banks in this nation are holding European debt instruments valued at $250 TRILLION DOLLARS. When, not if, those debt instruments default, those five U.S. banks will collapse, and you can kiss the money in your bank account goodbye. Neither Romney nor Santorum have a plan on how to get us out of debt.
Newt Gingrich does, and it involves this nation becoming energy independent. He laid it all out in a speech to Republicans in San Francisco, February 26, 2012.
I strongly suggest that people backing Santorum here on Free Republic deeply research Rick Santorum. When he first ran for Congress he claimed to be pro-abortion and posed as the anti-Reagan. People do change, I know that. But character rarely does, if ever.
By the way, Steelfish: Ronald Reagan’s poll number in October, 1980, was around 30%, yet he went on to win the Presidency.
I don’t care how much negative advertising is done to drive down the popularity of the only Republican who can beat Obama, I will write in Newt Gingrich’s name come this November.
Yes. But you expect more like 80%. NOTE: For all his presence and spending in GA, Gingrich could not get 50% of the GA vote. Romney got 72% in MA. Not good.
"(Reuters) - Rick Santorum has put his Catholic faith front and center as he courts religious conservatives in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. That may be hurting his chances with a crucial group of voters: his fellow Catholics.
Santorum has lost the Catholic vote consistently in states that have held nominating contests so far, exit polls show.
The pattern underscores Santorum's continued inability to broaden his appeal beyond a core of voters, mostly evangelical Protestants, who place social issues like abortion and gay marriage at the top of the agenda...."
-end snip-
I am not supporting a Bush establishment pro union politician. Can you stop pushing him as a perfect conservative. A lot of people in Ohio voted for Rick (as in TN OK) to stop Romney. Some dems voted for him who will vote for Obama in the general. People like Newt, that will only change for the better.
We surely don’t have to continue listening to the “experts” who gave us Bobdole and McLame.
It’s time for the “moderate” Republicans to understand they are losers as navigators. They have no reform ideas to offer the country. They are natural followers of the flow. They need to get in the back of the bus and enjoy the ride. Being the whinners they are, they will make great back seat drivers.
That will not be the case in the general. Romney won by a squeaker of 1% because (1) He won large urban areas that are generally moderate-liberal (2) he was outspent by more than 3 to 1 by Romney and (3) because Gingrich played the role of spoiler and siphoned off a paltry but decisive 15% of the vote.
I know you can’t see me but I’ve giving you a standing ovation!
Stop It.
Your guy has had non stop media promotion and help from Mark Levin and Rush Limbaugh; he cannot seal the deal. Ha! Be real, many of the Newt supporters are not wanting to see Santorum as the nominee.
Do you actually think it would be a GOOD thing that only half the republicans liked the candidate chosen as the nominee?
For you again - Update: In wake of Super Tuesday, ad wars intensify (The Continuation of Vetting Santorum)
Thank you,
Really, we got to get strategic here in the next few weeks, otherwise this Bishop Romney character gonna be laughin all the way to the bank in Tampa. Seriously. Getting very very concerned about this conservative, internecine fissure and how to put it back together with super high bond glue.
The problem is that a large number of Conservatives are conservative in the sense that they do not want government to tell them how to live their lives.
In essence, they want government to be as small and unobtrusive as possible.
And Santorum is the Republican antithesis to that philosphy. Much in the same vein that Obama is for the general election.
There is no way anyone who believes in the smallest government possible will accept Santorum. Whereas those that would support Santorum can accept a candidate that would shrink the size and scope of government.
But instead of recognizing that reality, Santorum supporters are continuing to demand that those conservatives who believe in the smallest government possible vote for someone that believes that government is the preferred way to inculcate morality into the populace.
Why they think that is possible in any sense of the word, I don’t know.
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