Posted on 01/07/2012 7:35:51 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
MANCHESTER, N.H. Mitt Romney has never looked stronger than he does today. Hes built up a huge lead in New Hampshire. The famously flat line of his support in Gallup polling is trending upwards.
And, in South Carolina SOUTH CAROLINA the former Massachusetts Governor is leading the pack with almost 40 percent of the vote, while the only southerner in the contest Texas Gov. Rick Perry has fallen to 5 percent.
Its remarkable what an 8-vote victory over an underfunded and unknown candidate in Iowa can do to momentum.
The only question now: can anyone to stop him? And, will they use tonights ABC/WMUR debate here in Manchester to do it?
The candidate with the most room to grow and the most to lose tonight is Rick Santorum. After watching the other conservative alternatives to Romney rise and fall, Santorum is sitting in the right place at the right time.
But, Santorum wont get a clean shot at Romney.
Instead, hes just as likely to have to defend himself against attacks from Ron Paul who is struggling to hold onto second place here in New Hampshire and is in the hunt in South Carolina.
In Nashua, N.H. Friday, Paul questioned Santorums conservative credentials saying four or five times he voted to raise the national debt, so that tells you how conservative he is.
The Paul campaign is also releasing an ad in South Carolina that calls Santorum another serial hypocrite who cant be trusted.
So, with Paul and Santorum potentially engaged in battle, can Romney simply float above the fray?
That all depends on what Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman decide to do.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
BTW, I find it interesting that the writer correctly states that Gov. Rick Perry is the only southerner in the "contest."
Ron Paul is from Pittsburgh (moved to coastal Texas town to open a medical practice).
Newt Gingrich was an army brat and has lived in D.C. since 1979.
Maybe the view is different in IA and NH but from here I don't see Mittens SAYING OR doing anything noteworthy. Yet, seemingly out of nowhere, comes free promotion from the MSM "news" declaring him the front runner.
IT IS SICKENING
Let loon Paul go after Santorum. Just make way for Newt to go after Romney
Not that this matters a whit, especially in winner-takes-all primaries.
If conservatives don't start consolidating, were going to get stuck with the Myth.
Perry is our only hope. I don’t care what anyone says.
He has the record as a 10 year governor of a large state. He has the money. Unlike Gimgrich who is a DC insider with loads of baggage. Or Santorum who is underfunded and a recent (landslide) loser to little Bob Casey.
It’s Perry... or we are stuck with Romneycare.
It’s called the damage Open primaries have on our choices.
The left can manipulate the results !
Golly notice how this Obama drone does not even
Mention that key point !
Mittens and Pauls support is from
the left not the GOP in the GOP primary !
It’s s scam and sadly SC is Open too !
Why is it, abc, Carl rove, almost all of fox news, mccain and Laura ingram, all think romney is the best candidate? Has fox news talked about the twenty votes in Iowa that should have given sanatorium the win? I had to hear this on msnbc!!! But i have not watched tv much lately, The kingmakers say it does not matter if santorum did win. (EXCEPT FOR MOMENTUM!!!.) Don’t these people watch sports?!!! How is there cheating any different than dead people voting on the left? Conservatives have principals which is more important than party. I’m smart enough to study a candidate and decide for myself. Now they’re smearing newt because he’s picking on there golden boy. If romney wins I pray a conservative goes independent. How long does it take to start The Conservative Party (C)? I am starting to think the kingmakers want obama to win. Maybe it is only about money for some people.
I like Perry a lot. He just can’t think on his feet. How do you think he will fare against a hostile media and toe to toe with “the one”? I wish he were more articulate and didn’t have brain fog but he does. This just can’t happen. He is not going to get the nomination.
Here's my take on how that affected Romney:
Seems to me, based on all I've read, listened to, talked about with people, that the Santorum surge "allowed" people to feel more comfortable with Romney. Easiest way to explain it.
They're not yet sure (and may never become sure) that they want Santorum to be President at this time (he's young and just becoming more well-known nationally), but they like the fact that he is challenging Romney and, at the minimum, is now the likeliest VP candidate if his momentum continues.
With Santorum in the picture, as a sort of check on Romney and a potential balance to the ticket (as Palin was to McCain), it looks like voters are more willing to support Romney, especially as he looks to many as inevitable anyway.
So, in my view, the better Santorum does, the more voters are also going to support Romney. It's sort of like saying, "okay, I'll go with Romney now that there's a true conservative who we can make the case for as VP."
Of course, some could make the argument that the Romney surge is a reaction against the Santorum surge, but that's just not the sense I'm getting.
Walter Mondale had a huge lead in Minnesota. Winning your home state or the state next to it isn’t a meaningful indicator of your ability to lead. All it means is you are popular.
South Carolina will determine our Presidential candidate.
I think that the key is to make sure the remaining 4 or 5 candidates stay in the race for the next two months. That would enable Mitt to be vetted and revealed before he can sew it up.
Myth can sew up his going away bags.
Mitt will lose, our nominee will be Gingrich or Santorum.
Whichever wins, they’ll then clobber Obama in the general.
“Perry is our only hope. I dont care what anyone says.
He has the record as a 10 year governor of a large state. He has the money. Unlike Gimgrich who is a DC insider with loads of baggage. Or Santorum who is underfunded and a recent (landslide) loser to little Bob Casey.
Its Perry... or we are stuck with Romneycare.
“
I agree. Rush Limbaugh clearly likes Perry, and yesterday he was going on about how wrong people are to believe Perry is “dumb” just because he doesn’t speak fast. Rush said, “I want to say to those people, ‘Have you SEEN what the man has done with Texas?’ “
“Mitt Romney’s “Moment” will be when he realizes that all the “anti-Romney” votes are going to add up to more than the “Romney” votes.”
And then he’ll realize that those ant-mittens votes are split 5 ways, and he’ll start smiling again and go back to watching his opponents fight it out amongst themselves.
“If conservatives don’t start consolidating, were going to get stuck with the Myth.”
They need to consolidate and make a deal with the Paul camp. I don’t see it happening, though.
Mittens, on the other hand, will make a deal. Don’t be surprised if the gop ticket is mittens and Rand Paul.
I would not be surprised to see a Romney/Santorum ticket, and I thought so even before Iowa. If Romney gets the nomination--still an "if"--he will need to pick a social conservative to reassure the base. And Santorum did endorse and campaign with Romney in 2008.
I agree with Perry on federalism, the Tenth Amendment, etc., and he may be a fine governor, but that perception--of his own making--is what he needs to overcome, and it may be too late.
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