Gingrich beats Romney in South Carolina - A "snoozer" becomes a "dogfight"

St. Petersburg Times ^ | January 22, 2012 | Marc Caputo

[Cincinatus' Wife]

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Newt Gingrich crushed the once-mighty Mitt Romney in South Carolina's first-in-the-South primary Saturday, a victory that transformed Florida's forthcoming vote from a snoozer into a dogfight.

"This sets the stage for a battle royal in the Sunshine State," said Nelson Warfield, a political consultant for Rick Perry's recently ended campaign who is also a member of Florida Gov. Rick Scott's inner political circle.

"Newt Gingrich changed the narrative of this race," Warfield said. "Before South Carolina, Romney was the slow, inevitable candidate. And Florida was going to be his coronation. Now Romney has to fight."

Romney has already been waging a low-key battle in Florida, spending about $2.5 million on TV ads and roughly $1 million on mail to target the early and absentee Republican voters who have already cast almost 200,000 ballots in Florida — about 10 percent of the expected vote Jan. 31.

Early-voting precincts opened statewide in Florida on Saturday as South Carolina voters went to the polls.

Out-raised, out-spent and out-organized, Gingrich has done relatively little in Florida. But his win will reverberate through the nation, and especially Florida, where voters are like voters everywhere — they like a winner.

[Matt Hatter]

So right. And I am thinking that people are damn tired of seeing a nominee picked by an establishment machine. In Romney’s case it would be a machine picking a ‘machine’. I can’t stand his phoney stiff ass. I think the more he brings out the dirty political ads, the worse it is going to get for him. It will be interesting to watch the establishment republicans’ heads explode.

[presently no screen name]

Let’s hope Floridians make your momma and America proud!

January 31 - the start of a 100 good years.

[Scotsman will be Free]

Screw Haley. She lost my vote when she pulled her filthy little stunt.
Hey Floridians, we did our duty here in the Palmetto state. I pray you do yours, and put rumnuts down.

[WalterSkinner]

..and on the other side, everyone should not overlook how much help Rick Perry’s classy and articulate endorsement of Newt was. Just my two cents...

[presently no screen name]

Wow. The establishment Republicans sure are pooping in their silk panties!

HOW RIGHT YOU ARE!!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2835920/posts?page=1

[FrankR]

[GJones2]

As a South Carolinian myself I’m pleased to see that my state has given Gingrich a boost. I’m never satisfied with any candidate but support most of his positions, and like the way he’s willing to confront the media.

Also he’s smart enough that the Democrats and media won’t be able to fit him into the usual stereotype of the dumb Republican (though they’ll portray him as mean and corrupt). Not that academic prowess necessarily goes with good political judgment — you can find wackos of all kinds who are academically smart and verbally adept — but I’m tired of seeing Republicans being portrayed as dummies.

[GJones2]

> ...how much help Rick Perry’s classy and articulate endorsement of Newt was.<

I just heard part of it, but it sounded classy and articulate to me too.

[LibsRJerks]

Here’s what they don’t get. They might have a gazillion dollars, and they can spend every bit of it trying to elect a wind-op toy, but every damn one of them has only ONE wote each. WE have millions. WE outnumber them and WE surround them
***

That’s right. It’s what people really need to remember, especially when the propaganda bureau really starts cranking it out about Newt. There are millions swirling, and MANY of these people have been bought and paid off to say the right thing ....most of it, if not 99% of it, is all twisted lies and misinformation.

[painter]

Here’s what they don’t get. They might have a gazillion dollars, and they can spend every bit of it trying to elect a wind-op toy, but every damn one of them has only ONE wote each. WE have millions. WE outnumber them and WE surround them.

That is a very Profound statement,and very true.

In 2010 the Democrats out spent us by a wide margin and we still KICKED their ASSES.

It's not the money it's the MESSAGE!

[Tennessee Nana]

Im sorry

I wasnt clear in that post

I said it WAS her birthday

not “its going to be”

My mother died in 1991...