So does anyone know why despite the “growing calls this week for him to end his campaign” Gingrich continues to stay in the race and enables Romney to narrow the gap with Santorum and sometimes actually thwart Santorum’s success like what occurred in crucial MI where Romney won by 3% points and Gingrich took just 7% of the vote or in all-important OH where Santorum lost by under 1% and Gingrich siphoned off 14.5% of the vote? Sometimes there is a message in the madness, but hard as one may look a sliver of a rational basis for this cannot be unearthed.
The problem is, he is screwing up Santorum in the process as collateral damage with this vote-split thing; the majority of commentators I have read see it as well. Only there is a strain, a minority viewpoint that somehow extrapolates his staying in actually keeps Romney from winning, but I think that is just glorified rationalizing with unsustainable arguments and numbers. What is sad about this windmill tilting is, as I expressed yesterday, the admirable, tough fighter Mr. Gingrich is not even eligible yet to have his name placed in GOP nomination at the Tampa convention per Rule 40 (b) at this time. Why would he have his delegates go there, often on their own dime nowadays, airfare, high gas prices to drive down from Georgia or South Carolina or elsewhere to Florida, hotel, food, pay for various parties, etc., but to sit on the convention floor and not be able to cast a valid vote for Gingrich during the roll call of the states. How could he do that do these people and distrupt their lives? For what greater cause?
It is unfathomable, but I guess some people will not let go of the Golden Ring they think they have in their hand, the Presidency, when they have wanted that for so long. Reading the tea leaves cannot be made in a direct appeal to the Speaker I am afraid. It needs to be made directly to his funders, and endorsers, people like Perry and Cain and Palin need to be contacted by the Conservative base to get with the program and get behind one single conservative left to deny Romney the nomination. Allen West should endorse, too, he fence sat this whole thing through and I must say I lost some respect of him as a result. I could live with who he endorsed but to just sit it out and by lack of action perhaps contribute to a Romney Nomination is just unfathomable in my section of Tea Party Land that I occupy. Now we see all RINO-dom in their sycophantic glory (Jeb Bush, etc) starting to pile on for Romney to create the Establishment's chain reaction of "inevitability" from the top down ("You Conservatives in the "Base" will do as we say, now, vote for us, get in the back seat, and SHUT UP.")
This must be stopped, and through a united front behind Santorum, it can be. But time is running out.
My guess - Newt knows he's done but his ego wants the opportunity for a broadway-esque fall on your sword moment at the convention. If, against all odds, he can pull enough delegates from Romney to keep Romney from the magic number (even though that's a statistical long shot) he can go into the convention, and ask his delegates to give his votes to Santorum.
National stage, falls on sword, hero of the conservatives, blah, blah, blah. Newt doesn't have a chance to hit the delegate total, he will end behind Santorum, who will end behind Romney. Only question is whether Romney hits the magic number. And with Newt in the race, the answer will be yes.
Newt is smart, unfortunately his ego seems to get in the way of common sense a little too often...
Gingrich were become more of a hindrance in the winner-take-all states.
Santorum has nearly twice as many delegates as Gingrich. Romney has nearly twice as many delegates as Santorum.
Unless either Santorum or Gingrich budges (gets out), the nominee is going to be Romney. And that will be without or with a brokered convention.