Posted on 03/13/2012 11:30:23 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
In an email to reporters today, the Romney campaign rejected Rick Santorum's assertion that he could force a convention fight and win in Tampa, calling it "pure fantasy, or vanity, or both."
The Romney operation is growing increasingly confident with their chances — even if Newt Gingrich drops out of the race to back Santorum, arguing that because not all of Gingrich's support will go to Santorum it means there are more delegates for Romney to pick up.
Below is the email from the campaign:
Good morning-
Today is another election day and yet another day that our opponents will be unable to make up the ground needed to get to 1,144 delegates. Gov. Romney looks to pick up additional delegates in Hawaii and American Samoa. And, from public polling, it seems as if in Alabama and Mississippi the candidates will split the vote, and, thus the delegates, three ways with no one candidate being able to cut in to Gov. Romney’s already large delegate lead and march to the nomination.
Sen. Santorum has recently taken to arguing that he will lose a majority of states but somehow magically win at the convention. This is pure fantasy, or vanity, or both. First of all, Sen. Santorum, couldn’t put together a full slate of delegates in many states, and he outright failed to get on the ballot in others. The notion that he is somehow going to get our delegates to vote for him is pie in the sky. In the states with unbound delegates, projections of what Sen. Santorum will likely get are already baked into the current tally. He also argues that if only Newt Gingrich would drop out and the race become a two-person contest, his chances will increase – but that just means there are more delegates on the table for us to take and get to 1,144 faster.
Has Ron Paul responded?
Looks like Milt is using some more fuzzy math to sell his phony inevitability argument. With Newt out, these close states between Rick and Milt will sway to Rick. IL and TX come to mind.
I am so tired of the man. To think about him being the next president .. well.. I find I have no words to describe it.
I think you have nothing to worry about in this regard. If he manages to scheme his way to the nomination, he will end his career in a landslide loss to Obama.
RE: Has Ron Paul responded?
For those who didn’t get the memo, Ron Paul has been observed since the time Bachmann and Perry were still in the race, NOT TO HAVE ATTACKED ROMNEY EVEN ONCE, EVEN AS HE HAS ATTACKED EVERYBODY ELSE.
Something is afoot between RP and MR.
The guess by some FReepers is they have an agreement -— For MR to choose RP’s son, Senator Rand Paul to be his VP running mate.
This is what Romney is saying now.
Gingrich is an ABSOLUTE disaster at this point in time. He alone is responsible for bringing us Romney within reach of claiming the nomination. Carl Cameron on SuperTuesday said it best on FoxNews when he reported that the Romney camp was “happy” that Gingrich continues to be in the race. And why not? They should be delirious with delight. Romney would have been kaput had he lost in WA, or his home state of MI where he carried by a mere three points with Gingrich draining away 7% of the vote and finally in crucuial OH where Romney won by just one point and Gingrich siphoning 15% of the vote. So we all pay the price for his bombastic ego. God help us! His sugar-daddy Vegas casino mogul Adelson sent Gingrich a rope line of $20m only because he thinks Gingrich is strong ally of Israel (like “I’ll move the US Embassy to Jerusalem”....and ignite a major breach with US interests in the region that every American president, including the Israelis would not want to happen) and Adelson doesn’t seem to like Santorum’s social conservatism. What a world we live in?
RE: he will end his career in a landslide loss to Obama.
Yes, because many Conservatives prefer to have Obama than Romney, and will either stay home or leave the presidential vote blank or write in someone else.
Say hello to more Sotomayor’s and Kagan’s in the courts of America.
Hey Zeke, as far as I know Gingrich has not dropped out yet like your headline insinuates ......forget the word “If?” So called journalist just can’t let their bias slip out.
I’m not a journalist but I did stay at a Holiday Express and I am for Newt.
RE: Gingrich is an ABSOLUTE disaster at this point in time. He alone is responsible for bringing us Romney within reach of claiming the nomination
________________________________
How certain are you that had Gingrich dropped out, most of his votes will go to Santorum?
If Gingrich drops out.. my vote is NOT going to (un)sanitary... I will write in Palin.. That is for the Primary AND the General.
Newt is the furthest to the center I am willing to go.. Any further than him is crossing WAY over the line to the left, and I will not vote for that.
NO UNIONS, NO WAY!!
An Analysis from Red State.com
Is Gingrich Going To Hand This Race to Romney?
___________________________________________________________
Posted by center77 (Diary)
Friday, March 9th
Without Gingrich, Romney is still the likely Nominee, but with Him, Romney wins a plurality.
The numbers just do not add up to anyone stopping Mitt Romney’s path to the nomination as long as Newt Gingrich is still in the race. Any objective observer should tell you that right now, the only chance there is to stop Romney lies in a united conservative base.
The overall vote totals should leave you to believe that if there were only one conservative/not-Romney in this race, then Romney’s path would have some huge hurdles placed in front of it.
Romney’s wins are coming when either there is a strong home state like advantage (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or one of the states that have a heavy Mormon populace built in), and he had to outspend his opponents by 3-1, 2-1, and sometimes 5-1. There are more people voting against Romney than there is voting for him.
Romney won Massachusetts by 220,000 votes on Super Tuesday, and none of the conservatives were on the ballot in Virginia, he is still not holding over half of the votes cast.
There is still some chance that Romney does not become the nominee, but this happens only if either Santorum or Gingrich drops out. Gingrich has not done well in a state outside of Georgia since the electorate got a glimpse of what millions in negative advertising does to his support.
Many voters like Gingrich, and would prefer him to the other candidates (I’m one of them), but it has become clear his baggage weighs him down.
Santorum is in the opposite positions, were he has lost support is because of mistakes he has made talking about social issues instead of deflecting them.
Romney has won 40 % of the popular vote, and that has earned him 55% of the 733 delegates awarded to date: despite not having to even fight for them in two states, and having huge advantages as well as a split base. If he keeps this up, he will be the nominee.
If Romney only wins 47%, he will not get enough delegates to clinch the nomination before the convention. Santorum would have to win 63% of the delegates to clinch the nomination.
If Gingrich dropped out before the next few states vote, and endorses Santorum, he would likely guarantee that Romney loses these states.
Two polls released show momentum moving in Romney’s favor right now in Alabama, and if he wins this state, this is going to start winding down soon.
If both polls Gingrich is running in a close third place, and if his support went to Santorum, Romney chances at winning the state would be neutralized. There is just no path for Gingrich, and right now, he is helping Romney. He told his supporters that it was utmost important to beat Romney, so we can face the president with a conservative, and not a moderate.
Well, Mr. Gingrich, if that is what you really think, then now is the time to be humble, and put the movement ahead of self-ambition.
This is the argument Gingrich had made once before, now he holds the key. This should have never been about one man, and Gingrich is smart enough to know he is done, but will he walk the walk, or hand Romney the nomination.
That's one of the reasons for the above. They expect Romney will continue to nominate more Kagans and Sotomayors.
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