Right?
Posted on 03/19/2012 10:39:11 PM PDT by VinL
With former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich low in the polls and splitting the conservative vote with former Sen. Rick Santorum, commentators and pundits have suggested that Gingrich should drop out of the GOP race. Political analyst Scott Rasmussen told The Daily Caller that a dispassionate reading of the tea leaves suggests they’re right.
“I think if [Gingrich] dropped out, it would be good for the party and it would be good for Santorum and Romney,” Rasmussen said. “It is much easier and much healthier for the Republican party if you have Santorum and Romney going head-to-head and Ron Paul throwing in a different perspective, than it is to have Gingrich and Santorum fighting to appeal to the same group of voters.”
Rasmussen noted that Gingrich is prolonging the GOP nomination by remaining in the contest, as he has insisted he would.
“The race to get 50 percent is a lot harder if four people are splitting them up,” Rasmussen said.
Gingrich lags behind Santorum and former Gov. Romney with 136 delegates and 14 percent in the polls, stretching his two primary victories in South Carolina and Georgia as far as they will go.
Gingrich’s campaign spokesperson gave no sign of throwing in the towel.
“Santorum and Romney are not bold enough to challenge the Democrat machine,” R.C. Hammond said, dismissing Rasmussen’s comments. “Newt is and he will.” (RELATED: Full coverage of the Gingrich campaign)
While the former speaker may possess that boldness, RealClearPolitics senior elections analyst Sean Trende has seen little success from the Gingrich campaign, concluding that “the numbers just aren’t there.”
Gingrich would have to win 75 percent of the remaining delegates to clinch the GOP nomination.
“His goal right now,” Trende explained, “and what his entire strategy is — and he says this — is to keep Romney from getting to 1,144 [delegates], and split up the delegates enough ways that there’s a brokered convention and maybe he can convince all of the delegates to break his way there.”
But Gingrich might be in for more disappointment.
Rasmussen suggested that if anything, it is “conceivable” that GOP front-runner Mitt Romney could go to an open convention with with less than 50 percent of the delegates but a big lead, meaning he would be the nominee no matter what.
“The only way it becomes a brokered convention is if none of the candidates has a big lead,” Rasmussen explained. “If that happens, you have a free-for-all — a pretty unlikely scenario.”
Both analysts agree that if Gingrich ended his candidacy, most of his voters would go to Santorum, but not all of them.
In fact, Trende predicted that Gingrich dropping out would increase Romney’s odds of becoming the nominee. Romney, with 507 delegates, stands twice as tall next to Santorum’s 239 delegates.
“The race right now is between Romney and a brokered convention,” Trende speculated. “It will be very difficult for Rick Santorum to get to 1,144 [delegates], whether Gingrich is in or not.”
Set down the name, the one Scott Rasmaussen.
Feeney, have you written the name I gave you?
Well, strike a line through it.
That's for him. Scott Rasmaussen.
****************
Newt's calling the shots- and that's how it should be.
I'm in, until Newt's out.
Party? There is an actual functioning Party?
““The race to get 50 percent is a lot harder if four people are splitting them up,” Rasmussen said. “
No shiite. What’s next, the sun will rise tomorrow?
A bit too late, don’t you think so after the damage has been done? Heck, some of us here on FR have been demanding that Gingrich withdraw ever since Santorum clinched the trifecta! Welcome to reality Mr. Rasmussen but why so late?
What I heard Rasmussen say is “if Newt would get out my boy Romney could roll Santorum”.
The way Santorum’s getting curb-stomped in IL right now, I’d rather Newt stay in.
That's BS- : ‘It would be good for Slick Willard’ if Gingrich dropped out.
Not if we want a brokered convention, and that is what I am hoping for. Let the people as a whole select our candidate.
Right?
Go Newt!!! Give ‘em hell.
“He’ll regret it till his dying day, if ever he lives that long. “
A man of letters. Right you are. _:)
Newt out.... Zerodamus wins..
If only for entertainment purposes NEWT MUST STAY IN.....
Newt out.. then Zero wins a very boring win over Willard and Santo..
Willard and Santo cannot handle or compete with a billion dollar Zerodamus slush fund and at least 3 or 4 networks and a passel of cable channels carrying water for Barry Half-White.. not to speak of most all newspapers and mags.. and a few Hollywood propaganda movies.. plus all the money and resources of almost every Union..
Newt can.. He can handle it.. Newts a whore but he isn’t a Union Stooge like Santo and Willard.. Like Juan Mclaim I feel Santo and Willard will throw the election..
You know.. like Juan... TAKE A DIVE.. He did you know?..
Go crunch some numbers. Go Newt. Brokered convention.
McGruff
It's interesting how the GOPe’s narrative is changing as it is looking more and more likely Romney wont have the delegates to clinch the nomination before the convention.
Now they are saying he's going to win anyway even without the delegates..all righty then that takes care of that..NOT
Its been my opinion all along that if Romney cant clinch the nomination before the convention he is toast at the convention.
Even the thick headed GOPe would be forced to nominate a conservative if they would have any chance of winning the election and thus keep their jobs.
Newt is not leaving, so your guy can have this, we don't want a liberal
Yours truly.
Fine by me.
Let the blue bloods and country clubbers and their creepy pulled back wives go on record putting the man from KOLOB in the drivers seat of the GOP and let the party die screaming like it deserves to.
Good for the party but bad for the country. Are we going to put party over country?
Well, yes, the GOP Establishment would.
I won’t.
Please! Does anyone here really think any of the candidates dropping out will change things? We have NO Conservatives running but we do have a lot of Establishment politicians that you can vote for. Yeehah..!
When you have nothing to gain but expelling the worst President of this Century, how do you respond? Do we have to vote for whomever is the current leader of the (Establishment) Republican Party? Yes, time to again vote for the lesser of two evils!.
Can we ever again vote for someone that we actually want for President? Not likely in my lifetime anyway. Sure hope that a NEW Party arises.. Yes, anything is better than what we currently have!
IMHO santorim is the disruptor.
Razz is usually right.
I dont like it though.
I think Santorum will be the weakest candidate in the general election.
Santorum is not a disruptor. That’s the problem. He’s at best a status quo politician.
Perhaps.
He is rocking the boat.
Needlessly I might add..
Grabbing at 3rd rails.
Tucker Carlson of Daily Caller has endorsed Romney or came as close to it on Fox. He had harsh things to say of Rick and Newt because he is punk. Daily Caller/ Tucker is the one who posted that vile story about Sarah Palin having a fling with a basketball player and posted vulgar implications. This is the story that Greta had a argument with Tucker about. Watch the daily caller-They are doing what it takes to help Mitt. The insiders and media pals are afraid that Newt and Palin could shake up the convention. They have to keep all of us in line. They know conservatives will Not accept Romney even at the end of the primaries. He may come close to the delegates but we don’t have to accept him and they know this.
Actually, if Rick used his head- they could keep Rom under 800. He should have let Newt win Ala and Miss- and now La.
Letting Newt win, doesn’t hurt Rick because Newt can’t amass enough delegates to win outright. As Newt wins, he remains viable- and there’s no better force than Newt to continue to chop Romney down to size.
Also, it allows the maximization of the anti Rom limited financial resources- allowing them to compete in their strongest states one on one.
Romney is outspending Rick 7 to 1 in Ill— rick is thick- but hopefully he’ll come to realize that no one can compete against unlimited resources-— Newt understood that after Fla.
Tucker has always been establishment. Go back and read some of the stuff he did for the Weekly Standard. Pure garbage.
It is the only way to save our country and keep the
America we know for our children. Nothing else matters now.
I think the voters need to take the lead and vote for either Rick or Newt depending on who is strongest in each state. The Newt supporters should vote for Rick in Illinois today...
I don't give a flip about the GOP E party, I care about OUR COUNTRY!
And NEWT is the candidate WeThePeople/OUR COUNTRY.
I’m in til Newt’s out. FUMR TO INFINITY
It would be GOOD for POLLS if Rasmussen dropped out!
It would be GOOD for POLLS if Rasmussen dropped out!
Lol.
“I think if [Gingrich] dropped out, it would be good for the party and it would be good for Santorum and Romney,” Rasmussen said.”
All the more reason for Newt to stay in. Neither of those fruitcakes deserve the presidency and they sure as hell will not get my vote.
I look forward to the complete destruction of the GOP-e.
** President Newt Gingrich-”Our beloved republic deserves nothing less.”
Go Newt!
Mitt. It’s time you quit!
Your credibility isn’t worth spit.
RINOs, the “Establishment”, and Democrats all agree,
But in the General Election, to Obama they’ll flee.
Against Obama, liberals and moderates know you’ll lose.
But conservatives, Romney they’ll never choose.
Mitt, our loyalty you can’t buy.
Back to Massachusetts, you’d better fly.
Just like Gerald Ford, Bob Dole, and John McCain,
Nominee Willard Mitt Romney will result in the same.
As a Governor, your record isn’t that great.
Out of 50 states, your popularity was number 48.
Your experience, the “Establishment” types tout.
Defending federal bailouts and FDIC loan forgiveness will find you out.
Democrats and RINOs cower from their liberal wives,
Supporting Romney with nothing but lies.
In 1994 Ted Kennedy showed Willard to be a great bane,
With Mitt’s Bain, and Bain Capital, Obama will do the same.
Damon Corp, with Romney paid $119 million in a fine.
Yet Willard says, for his leadership, it’s time.
He claims jobs he can create and taxes he can lower,
47th out of 50 in growth he rates. Can it get any slower?
$740.5 million dollars a year, fees and taxes under Mitt increased.
Will the half-truths and lies from Romney ever cease?
For Liberty and Freedom, we don’t need “Flakes”,
But Romney says Healthcare responsibilities belong to the States.
Conservatives stand for “Self-responsibility, Self-accountability, and Self-reliance.”
But against these things, Willard’s actions scream in defiance.
“Establishment Republicans” thinks Romney can help take back the Senate,
But they know that for President, Mitt can NOT win it.
Like everything the “Establishment Republicans” try to do,
It leads to failure, and we get the bill, as well as the screw.
In their corruption, little change do they seek,
They don’t want our Freedom to peak.
Their craving for power has pushed their bravery,
To ignore our Constitution, and sell us into economical slavery.
So Willard, don’t lecture us on the need for “patience” and “compromise”.
Romney, be selfless. Conservatism is on the rise.
Choosing the lesser of two evils, isn’t what we desire.
You let them rewrite the language. Where’s your fire?
Romney, they accuse us falsely, and you do little.
Where’s your response, or can you only twiddle?
Mitt, you don’t have what it takes to lead.
So with you I plead.
Do you really want to go from Obama-care to Romney-care?
With you, this nation will pull out its hair!
Go somewhere and quietly think … and sit.
“Know your own limitations!” Mitt. It’s time you quit!
That’s right, onyx!
Go Newt!!!
Wait, Ging brich can decide what he wants to do, but why do you maintain he has the right to tell me orr anyone else to do? Where in the Constitution does it give him the right to "call the shots" for anyone else but himself. He may not like the fact that evil right wing social engineer global warming-denier conservatives exist, but we don't have to role over for him just because he's proclaimed himself messiah.
That's exactly what I heard.
He wants a brokered convention where the GOP establishment elite, who run the thing and make the rules, will still anoint Romney and will say it's because Mitt still has the MOST delegates—thank you Newt. Newt thinks he will have a “say” in Tampa but he will be too politically toxic and bitterly resented for being a disgruntled spoiler who weakened the eventual nominee so much, even though he KNEW personally that he himself COULD NOT WIN—four more years of Obama was made inevitable.
Oh, Gingrich is going to be REAL popular in Tampa—especially after using the last of his millions in smearing the last true conservative left who could have won, aka Rick Santorum.
Wreck Rick to get back at Mitt—what a sick twisted and damned to fail strategy--and some folks say Newt is smart.
Newt thinks he will have a “say” in Tampa but he will be too politically toxic and bitterly resented for being a disgruntled spoiler who weakened the eventual nominee so much, even though he KNEW personally that he himself COULD NOT WIN—four more years of Obama was made inevitable.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Really? You underestimate the Tea Party so offhandedly?
I want a brokered convention. Let the chips fall where they may.
The spoiler, Romney, should drop out.
No kidding. Hope they are really happy and proud with Bishop Romney as their party’s nominee. /sarcasm
Where are all the calls for Paul to drop out?
If he did, that would cement Newt’s lock on third place.
The author’s point is not valid. Whether it’s Romney 1100 to Santorum 1000 or Romney 1100 to Santorum 600 to Gingrich 500, Mitt has more money to make a deal with those last few uncommitted delegates.
It was only a two person race in 1976; President Ford had far greater deal-making ability than Ronald Reagan.
As could be said “ One Sick Twisted F”...and this was all out of spite-nothing more. All out of ego. Some Conservative Capitol Hill House veterans from the 70s and 80s were right all along about this guy and sending warnings. Kamikaze last ditch defies all logic and imagination and accomishes nothing—but I guess it fits the character profile from multiple insiders. We should have been forewarned. Nauseating. We get McCain and Dole all over again.
Stay in it, Newt! Run that Romney-Puke out of there!
If Mitt still does not have the 1144 yet still has the majority of delegates by Tampa time, even if by one—there will be no “brokered convention” cuz the GOP-e will conduct, and manipulate votes until the RINO wins-just like 1976.
Rick Santorum still has a small chance IF Newt pulls out now to prevent this scenario.
But since Mitt hurt his feelings Newt has become the deranged Captain Ahab determined to drag himself, Rick Santorum, the Republican Party and America itself down into four more years of Obama tyranny if that is what it takes for him to get back at Moby Mitt Romney.
How many Tea Party congresspeople got leadership positions—even though THEY gave the GOP the majority? Tells you who are still the bosses
Unless Santorum gets the 1144, and he has a chance if Newt, who KNOWS he can't win, gets out it's Romney and then Obama.
BINGO!
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