Santorum Wins Mississippi and Alabama Primaries [Gingrich Vows To Continue To Tampa]

MSNBC ^ | March 13, 2012 | Michael O'Brien,

[Steelfish]

Santorum Wins Mississippi and Alabama Primaries

By Michael O'Brien, msnbc.com -- Rick Santorum scored victories in the Mississippi and Alabama primaries on Tuesday, depriving Mitt Romney of a signature win in a conservative stronghold and raising fresh doubts about the viability of Newt Gingrich's campaign.

The former Pennsylvania senator made his case for being the lone, serious Republican challenger to Romney for the remainder of the primary by besting Gingrich in states the former speaker's campaign had previously said were essential to its long-term viability.

“We did it again,” Santorum said to wild applause from supporters in Louisiana, and amid projections by NBC News that he would win both Mississippi and Alabama.

Romney had hoped to score a victory in Mississippi, thereby proving his ability to win a state that composes part of the heart of the modern GOP. But he appeared to be heading to a third-place finish in both contests, failing to even surpass Gingrich, a candidate who’s weathered growing calls to exit the race.

A former governor of Massachusetts, Romney acknowledged these contests were an “away game” for a figure like him, marking an effort to set low expectations for how he might finish in the contests.

John David Mercer / AP Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets supporters who braved the rain during a campaign stop at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Monday, March 12, 2012 in Mobile, Ala.

The Romney campaign was able to pick up delegates in both states, contributing to its march to collect the 1,144 delegates needed to secure the nomination. His campaign was also likely to pick up those crucial delegates in Hawaii's caucuses, which were set to take place overnight. A total of 107 delegates were up for grabs between the three states on Tuesday.

[Steelfish]

And your guy wants trillion dollar cap and trade; favored individual mandates; and wants amnesty because it helps grandmothers

[madison10]

I’m for whatever works to keep Romney from picking up more states, as long as it doesn’t destroy both of the conservatives.

[Yaelle]

To all who are saying that Santorum would lose to Obama:

Remember that a collie or Persian cat could beat Obama.

Note that hard core liberals who mock Santorum as a “saint” (just like some Freepers do) would never vote for him. But they fall on the ground laughing at the thought of voting for newt.

And ask your moderate friends which they would rather have, if their choice was Santorum or obama. A lot of the family people would rather have a good guy with the Christian values they know and trust than a somewhat subversive person who has proven he can destroy the economy without missing a beat, and whose motivations are entirely secretive. You might be surprised how many religious blacks and Jews will vote Santorum. Again, I am talking about moderate or apolitical families. Not the hard core libs. Newt or Rick could not get their vote. But people were burned by voting Obama, and they don’t want him back in there.

It is a MYTH that you have to be a milquetoast romney to beat Obama. Real conservatives win. They surprise the media and everyone who sucks the media’s boob, but they do win!

[Red Steel]

While Santorum voted to confirm Sonia Sotomayor while on her career way to become Obama’s Supreme Court nominee who will keep on giving and giving to the socialist agenda for decades to come.

[Houghton M.]

“Newt is rising, and Santorum is dropping. Santorum should have had both states by ten points”

???????????????????????

You Newters get to make up any crazy crap you want, I guess. No one had Santorum up by 10 points. Newt staked everything on winnning big in the South. And he was up by 10 points and more in a number of polls.

He lost tonight. Period. And your response is to make up some absolute fantasy nonsense about Santorum having been up by ten so winning by 5 in Alabama don’t count?

Can you not see how foolish this sort of argumentation is? Tinfoil quality.

[Belteshazzar]

The real problem is that all the GOP candidates are weak candidates, all are flawed candidates, and all for different reasons. It isn’t going to be easy in the fall no matter who faces B. Hussein.

[Utmost Certainty]

Remember that a collie or Persian cat could beat Obama.

That's BS. I wish it weren't. Please do not get into a false sense of security over how supposedly beatable Obama is.

[Houghton M.]

Nah, that would have been too good a point to waste on Fox.

The two “good” points described upthread strike me as rather contrived and weak points. Got to hand it to him, he’s got chutzpah.

[Utmost Certainty]

Hah, awesome.

[JohnBovenmyer]

If Newt can't win in AL and MS its hard to think of any other states he can win. He may pick up some delegates, but is a candidate who's only won two states going to get the nod in a brokered convention. Far more likely the establishment would anoint someone new than someone Obama would paint as an already 48 state loser. In a brokered convention Newt, in or out now, would probably have the third greatest number of delegates and become a powerbroker, but no way would he lead the ticket. CNN's analysis of how things might go, in what they characterized as best case scenarios for Santorum, with Newt in vs. with Newt out. Might still get to brokered convention with Newt in, but Romney would be real close to a majority. CNN didn't say it, but Paul's delegates could put Mitt over the top. In any case Mitt would have enough of a lead it would be hard to argue Santorum should get the nod. With Newt out CNN says Santorum can come very close to catching Mitt, but probably not quite catch him. Which would give Newt more influence at the convention.

Santorum's team put out a release earlier today claiming Mitt won't get near as many delegates as the media is granting him (and as CNN granted in their simulation.) I don't know enough to evaluate their claims, I can only relay their summary. Part was based on FL and AZ having gone winner take all contrary to GOP rules. They claim that will be overturned at the convention. Newt's fight to get a share of FL is well known here; AZ would be comparable and would be a sweet hit on McCain. Their other claim, which is more nebulous, but may more significant. They claim Rick's forces are out maneuvering others in caucus states as they progress through county and district levels. That they'll get more delegates than expected and Mitt fewer than expected. There has been minimal news coverage other than the usual wild Ronulan claims. Iowa had its county conventions Saturday. Rick's guy claimed Romney and Paul were wiped out there. My Scott county (Davenport) convention was covered by the local rag, but little was said about any changes... except that Ron Paul's guys were whining big time. Apparently Paul's guys tried to stage coups in several counties.

[Jim from C-Town]

I am not sure that Newt would take the VP spot for Romney. He, along with everyone Romney has ever run against, except Fellow Traveler RINO McCain, HATES HIM. They hate him because he fights dirty and lies about his opponents. He also seems to thinks that his money and connections entitle hi, to the nomination.

[Houghton M.]

If Newt can’t stand Romney, why is he handing the nomination to Romney?

Scozzafava
Pelosi’s couch

Newtie actually will back Romney before he backs Santorum. His sugar daddy Adelson is deliberately using Newt to aid Romney. And Newt knows it and goes along with it because Newt is all about Newt and Newt wants his last, dying, gasping minutes of fame.

[Houghton M.]

How will splitting the 60% not-Romney vote keep Romney from picking up states?

Do you Newsters even think before you promulgate arguments?

[BillyBoy]

>> I've made up my choice, but Rick needs to come visit Illinois before visiting Puerto Rico. <<

Rick has multiple events lined up for Illinois later this week, but most of them are downstate as that's where the bulk of his voters will be. (polls show the Chicago area will go Romney and the downstate area will go Santorum. Statewide, they're about evenly tied as the GOP primary has a much larger share of the downstate vote than the general election has)

He does have 2 big events in the Chicago area. One is a fundraiser, and the second is a GOTV campaign rally. If you're interested in attending the rally (I'm carpooling with some Santorum delegates from the Palos area), it will be THIS Friday:

March 16, 7pm-9pm
Christian Liberty Academy @ the Grace Gym
502 W. Euclid Ave.
Arlington Heights, IL

Admission is free and I believe the capacity is 960 or so.

Also, Dengar, make sure to vote for Santorum's DELEGATES as well as the candidate himself. It's actually the MOST important part of the primary as we're one of only two states where the voters elect the delegates directly. I think you said you've been redistricted in the 3rd Congressional District (Lipinski). If so, the 3 Santorum delegates are Rich Grabowski (who is also on the ballot for Congress and should get your vote), Lynn Livesay, Thomas M. Mann, and 2 alternate Santorum delegates Jacqueline Grabowski, and Dean Mann .

[Houghton M.]

Newt won’t take the VP spot with anyone. He’s 68. He doesn’t know how to play second fiddle (and VP is 13th fiddle, not second fiddle.

If Newt can’t have it all Newt don’t want none of it.

[Steelfish]

Nice try to pass off a canard as truth. This is what the Gingrich brigade does here.

It was President George H.W. Bush who appointed her to a district court judge in NY in 1991. Often times to break a filibuster over another conservative candidate, a conservative senator will make a trade-off. By your logic Nixon appointed Justice Blackman who authored Roe v. Wade, and Reagan appointed Justice Kennedy who authored Lawrence v. Texas that gave us the gay rights decision. Ergo, Nixon and Reagan are liberals. This is the kid of absurdity we get here.

From the Miami Herald:
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/12/2685728/romneys-sad-search-for-authenticity.html
___________________________________________________________
EXCERPT

Sotomayor’s only previous ruling that dealt with abortion was one where she sided with the pro-life arguments. The case involved a policy that prohibited giving government funding to groups that either perform or advocate for abortion in foreign countries.

She never directly put her judicial view on the core issue, the constitutionality of abortion.

Meanwhile, she’s been very clear about how she views the Constitution. This statement, from her 1997 confirmation hearing, could be used in a political ad positioning her as the patroness of conservative causes, not the devil’s mistress: “I don’t believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it.”

[tcrlaf]

So, let’s make the EXACT same mistake we made in 2008, by electing someone with NO MONEY, no network support, no business support, no GOTV support, etc.

Romney HAS the networks required to run against the FOUR HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS the AFLCIO alone is already planning to dump in to the Obama coffers.

Newt has the ability to CREATE those networks, and build the coalitions required, as well as the balls to do what is going to be required to defeat Obama, his BILLION DOLLARS, and most of the mainstream media.

Santorum does not, and that’s the EXACT same mistake we made in 2008. And I won’t even begin to go in to his ‘Google Problem’.

[Steelfish]

“Newt is a strategic thinker” like proposing permanent moon-based colonies within eight years at a time of exploding trillion dollar budget deficits and $16T national debt, and $2.50 gas/gallon within two years regardless of world energy markets and geo-political conditions.

[Red Steel]

LoL Fishy you’re defending the leftist Sonia, and daddy Bush was a GOP-E player if there ever was one. No need to try at all. Here it is - Santorum confirmed Ms. Sonia the socialist on her career leg to become Obama’s SCOTUS justice.

“Vote Summary

Question: On the Nomination (Nomination: Sonia Sotomayor to be U.S.Circuit Judge, 2nd Circuit )” ...

Santorum (R-PA), Yea
Sarbanes (D-MD), Yea

- - - - - - - -

There he is Ricky ...voting for the socialist like a good GOP-E team player.

[Steelfish]

That was a nice side step you made on the Miami Herald article that gave you the basis for Santorum’s vote.