'We Did it Again!' Santorum Takes the South. Blue Collar Beats Blue Blood

Catholic Online ^ | 3/14/12 | Keith A Fournier

[tcg]

...This was blue collar vs blue blood. The pundits tried all evening to sound intelligent as they attempted to explain the vote. They failed miserably. In his victory speech, Rick Santorum nailed it, "This campaign is about ordinary folks doing extraordinary things, just like America."

As he ended his speech he told his supporters the campaign was about "Free people, a free economy, the integrity of the family and the centrality of faith in our lives". Just as he finished that line, a campaign worker informed the candidate that he had also won Mississippi. The entire room broke into an uproar. FOX news had just called Mississippi for Santorum.

Earlier in the day, Mitt Romney told CNN's Wolf Blitzer "Senator Santorum is at the desperate end of his campaign." Last week, he boasted that it would "take an act of God" for Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich to derail his nomination. Well, it appears that God had a southern strategy this evening. The Rick Santorum for President campaign is anything but desperate.

As the evening began, the pundit class gave the former Senator from Pennsylvania little chance of winning either State. Even Matt Drudge had a headline banner on his aggregator site, "Romney Set for Mississippi Win". It was quickly changed as the evening progressed.

The pundits dissected what they thought were the demographics. They used exit polls in an attempt to call the event. They also provided fodder for their chatter. What became clear as the evening progressed was just how clueless they are about the real America - and how little they understand about the appeal of this candidate. Rick Santorum is the Real Deal. He has taken the South. Blue Collar beat Blue Blood. The Republican Primary Race is on...

[tcg]

This grandson of a coalminer, from a working class family from the coal and steel country of Pennsylvania has now done what no one thought was possible. He has blown this Republican primary race wide open. Not only is this going to be an exciting race, it will determine the future of the Republican Party. NBC was the first to call the Alabama race. Rick Santorum won with a wide margin, against all odds. One of the MSNBC commentators noted the trend toward the candidate surged as the hour got later because "working class people vote late. They vote after work."

[Elvina]

It’s absolutely amazing what Santorum has pulled off with realtively little money. I have been involved in the grassroots campaign. It’s because real hard-working people are spreading the word person-to-person. The pundits can’t predict it, because they don’t understand the heartland of America.

[McGruff]

Is this what you people want?

FACT CHECK: Santorum a “big-government conservative”?

[FatherofFive]

Mitt Romney told CNN's Wolf Blitzer "Senator Santorum is at the desperate end of his campaign."

Time for Mitt to drop out. He cannot win the base.

I respect Newt's intellect and what he did, but it is time for him to leave as well.

[ripley]

“The pundits can’t predict it, because they don’t understand the heartland of America.”

One day, hopefully, the brains of leftists pundits will have to be used for productive pursuits rather than playing the role of brilliant Progressive geniuses calling the occupants of flyover country “knuckle-dragging, gun-loving, bible-thumping morons”.

IMHO

[Tax-chick]

There is no such thing as “blue blood” in the United States. Allowing people whose grandparents snarfled some money to put on aristocratic pretensions is silly.

[throwback]

Somebody please remind me what the polls were saying prior. Try though they may, this Santorum guy just won’t stay dead. Somebody’s been praying.

[pgkdan]

My wife and I put a somewhat large (for us) check in the mail to the Santorum campaign yesterday. I've been giving $20 here and there online for a while now but felt we really needed to get in to this. I prayed all day that it wasn't in vain and that Rick would do well enough yesterday to keep going. I really didn't expect a win in BOTH states! I thought he was going to do well and possibly win in AL but MS was a mystery to me.

Way to go Rick! Game On!

[MrB]

I suppose the leftist pundits could be put to good use...
splitting firewood, holding up fences (saving on posts), etc.

[pgkdan]

There is no such thing as “blue blood” in the United States. Allowing people whose grandparents snarfled some money to put on aristocratic pretensions is silly.

I know what you're saying but someone really needs to inform the Kennedy's.

[TomGuy]

This was blue collar vs blue blood

The results from last evening are sending more shockwaves through the Republican elites than through Team Obama.

The elites lost. The elites lost BIG time. The results -- 3rd place in both Alabama and Mississippi -- showed that Romney cannot win in the South. Texas will be the next big prize.

This morning, the elites might be satisfied with a brokered convention. That way, they could find an excuse to dump Romney. Otherwise, their chosen one will be limping into October to challenge Obama.

[GlockThe Vote]

Its still all about Obamacare.

Saint Rick is the only one with credibility on this as Newt and Myth were both for mandates.

[WellyP]

Ricky..wash the dye out of your hair and cut your phoney purity act and maybe we can start talking!

[MulberryDraw]

I’d like to think that this is more evidence of a fourth turning that isn’t being picked up by the MSM, GOP-E and others in the chattering class.

[MrB]

More folks are coming to understand that this is a battle of the elitists vs US,
and yet more folks NEED to understand this.

[Tax-chick]

... someone really needs to inform the Kennedys.

I'd be happy to.

[thatjoeguy]

He’s better then Mitt and the ‘One’ but I’d rather have a team LEADER rather than just a team PLAYER.

JB

[skeeter]

Its no longer about what we want. Its about what we have.

Judging by the GOP nominees we've been dealt since 1988 I'm happy with Santorum, as flawed as he may be.

[jersey117]

He’s a union guy.

[Gotterdammerung]

Saint Rick wouldn’t stand a chance against O. O will win by a landslide.