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Anti-Romney conservatives face calls to coalesce
Politico | 1/1/2012 | ALEXANDER BURNS and JONATHAN MARTIN

Posted on 01/01/2012 10:53:57 AM PST by TBBT

KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Even before votes are cast here, movement conservatives across the country are beginning to fear that 2012 will be a replay of the last GOP presidential primary: conservatives divided between candidates, enabling a center-right contender to march up the middle and claim the nomination. Time is running short on activist Republicans who have long yearned for a unifying Mitt Romney alternative in the race – leading some to worry that if they don’t stop him in Iowa on Tuesday, they may not be able to stop him at all.

Rick Santorum’s late surge in Iowa, coupled with the apparent determination of Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich to make a three-week stand through South Carolina, could augur for a bloody, multi-party battle on the right while Romney rides strength in Iowa and New Hampshire. That’s led some movement veterans to call for the base to rally around whichever conservative does best in the caucuses on Tuesday — a distinction that polls are showing is likely to go to Santorum. “I could see the conservative movement coalescing around somebody that comes out of Iowa strong and sort of becomes the conservative candidate out of Iowa and into New Hampshire,” said conservative strategist Greg Mueller, a onetime adviser to the Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes campaigns. “You could see conservatives nationally start to call on the movement, which is not a monolithic thing, to encourage their supporters to get behind the one candidate who might have a shot at winning.”


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: gop; nomination; politicoflack; politicoprrep; ricksantorum; rinoromney; romneycollapsing
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To: TBBT
Has anyone seen, or conducted, a poll that asks for 1st and 2nd options for the current list of candidates? if, a combination of 1st and 2nd options does not total 50% of more for Romney, then he does not have a unified consensus to be the nominee.

It's not rocket science, but the LSM/Elite GOP are attempting to crate momentum where it is not.

I believe that this is the first time that "the people" are aware of the tactical B.S. and will not put up with it.

Would the Conservatives be willing to sacrifice another 4 years of Obama to prove a point (while electing more conservatives down ballot)?? I, personally have not made up my mind yet on this tactic, but I would like to hear what others think.

21 posted on 01/01/2012 11:20:05 AM PST by IllumiNaughtyByNature ($1.84 - The price of a gallon of gas on Jan. 20th, 2009.)
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To: JohnBrowdie

Iowa caucuses pick delegates to county conventions and begin compiling a party platform. No delegates are committed to a candidate. All the angst is over a secret, non-binding presidential preference vote where attendees write any name they want on a blank sheet of paper. Iowa doesn’t choose delegates to the national convention (which chooses the nominee) until June.


22 posted on 01/01/2012 11:20:23 AM PST by jjotto ("Ya could look it up!")
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To: untwist

Newt should just give the middle finger to both those pathetic states.

Stop wasting time and money on people this full of it.


23 posted on 01/01/2012 11:22:00 AM PST by VanDeKoik (1 million in stimulus dollars paid for this tagline!)
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To: County Agent Hank Kimball

History lesson, dude:

Thompson had one job only in SC..

Take out the conservative Huck for his pal, the mushy MODERATE McCain by splitting the conservative vote WITH HUCK.

If Huck beats liberal Teddy Kennedy clone, Willard by 10 in IA (as he did) and beats McCain in SC (missed it by a measly 3%), Moderate McCain and Liberal Willy are toast!


24 posted on 01/01/2012 11:22:55 AM PST by CainConservative ( Newt/Rubio 2012 with Cain, Bolton, Santorum, Perry, Watts, Duncan, & Bachmann in Newt's Cabinet)
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To: IllumiNaughtyByNature
I believe that this is the first time that "the people" are aware of the tactical B.S. and will not put up with it.

No they're not. Look at all the people right here on FR buying into the Santorum surge, and playing nicely into Romney's hands.
25 posted on 01/01/2012 11:23:15 AM PST by Utmost Certainty (Our Enemy, the State | Gingrich 2012)
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To: Diogenesis

The poster is a seminar poster. Just look at the posting history.


26 posted on 01/01/2012 11:23:43 AM PST by cripplecreek (Stand with courage or shut up and do as you're told.)
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To: Scoutmaster

Right on cue : )


27 posted on 01/01/2012 11:24:35 AM PST by CainConservative ( Newt/Rubio 2012 with Cain, Bolton, Santorum, Perry, Watts, Duncan, & Bachmann in Newt's Cabinet)
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To: jjotto

yeah. the problem is that by then, the breathless MSM coverage has moved on. the danger isn’t iowa’s delegates in the first place — there just aren’t that many if them.

the problem is the hype. and it’s especially pernicious this year with the compressed early primary schedule.


28 posted on 01/01/2012 11:25:11 AM PST by JohnBrowdie (http://forum.stink-eye.net)
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To: org.whodat
the idiots voting for mccain gave use mccain.

Exactly.

I hate this elitist evangelical bashing.

I have only one vote. And as an evangelical, I can promise you it will NEVER go to Romney. So I am NOT responsible if Romney happens to win my state's primary.

It's that simple.

29 posted on 01/01/2012 11:25:46 AM PST by Flycatcher (God speaks to us, through the supernal lightness of birds, in a special type of poetry.)
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To: af_vet_rr

Is it a result of the Northeasterners moving south for retirement?


30 posted on 01/01/2012 11:25:56 AM PST by reaganaut (Romney IS Obama - just 'white and delightsome' 2 Nephi 30:6)
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To: CainConservative

I don’t know if that’s true or not. But I DO know that Huckster is nothing approaching a conservative....so to me it was Huck, McCain and Romney all pretending to be conservatives against Thompson who actually WAS a conservative.

Hank


31 posted on 01/01/2012 11:26:40 AM PST by County Agent Hank Kimball (Screw it. Newt's the smartest candidate and the guy I want to see debating Obummer. Flame away. Num)
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To: TBBT
Perry and Michele Bachmann are headed straight to South Carolina and skipping New Hampshire after the caucuses.

Hope New Hampshire didn't spend all that revenue they thought they were going to collect from that 9% meal and lodging tax this time around...

32 posted on 01/01/2012 11:26:59 AM PST by who knows what evil? (G-d saved more animals than people on the ark...www.siameserescue.org.)
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To: TBBT

So because your candidate sucks we should vote for him instead of the one who best represents us?

No sale.

Was a Fredhead then, McCain won because he was the most conservative of the remaining batch.

Huckster and Slick Williard were to his left. If the McCain folks had gotten behind Fred, we’d have President Fred and a very different world today.

Now today - Newt = McCain, Mitt = Mitt. Santorum = Fred. Perry = Huckster.

So why would I vote for the loser, again? If I wanted someone who would lose I’d vote for Paul.


33 posted on 01/01/2012 11:28:54 AM PST by BenKenobi (You know, you really need to break free of that Catholic mindset.- metmom)
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To: Utmost Certainty

I disagree, respectively. FR is a microcosm of the general electorate. We, being FR, are more aware than most of political issues, etc. The general populace is not, yet this time around, they are taking harder stances for what they want. coupled with the increased GOP/Independent party affiliations it makes more sense, to me, that the general awareness is higher than at any time. IMO.


34 posted on 01/01/2012 11:29:43 AM PST by IllumiNaughtyByNature ($1.84 - The price of a gallon of gas on Jan. 20th, 2009.)
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To: CainConservative
Perry and Michele Bachmann are headed straight to South Carolina and skipping New Hampshire after the caucuses. Hmmmmm.... Prediction: It won't be necessary after the Tues evening results, imho.

Bachmann has already made a statement that she's not getting out and will be going on to S.C.. How she sees a way forward I don't know. Perhaps, she'll be trying to leverage some advantage from dropping out from other candidates. Then again why would she say anything different right before the caucuses? It wouldn't be a smart move. But, when the show is over in Iowa, she may get real and bow out.

Perry is headed to S.C. immediately after the caucuses are over. Even with a poor showing in Iowa, he has enough bank that he's likely to make a stand there even if his poll numbers don't improve (which they might - and will give him more incentive) between now and Jan 21st.

Newt has made good bank in the last 3 months - enough that it would be unreasonable for him to consider dropping out. Especially considering that the last nominee finished 4th in Iowa and the last polling shows that he still has a fighting chance in S.C.

Coalescing is going to be hard...
35 posted on 01/01/2012 11:30:26 AM PST by TBBT
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To: Scoutmaster

Good job (but the middle two are the same fyi).


36 posted on 01/01/2012 11:31:19 AM PST by reaganaut (Romney IS Obama - just 'white and delightsome' 2 Nephi 30:6)
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To: County Agent Hank Kimball

Check the internals in IA and SC. Huck dominated Lazy Fred among conservatives by two to one.

So I’m sure your definition of true conservative is incorrect.

But hey, if you liked McCain over Huck — Conservatives in IA & SC will just overwhelmingly disagree with your view. No biggie. Moderates like you are welcome in the R camp, too.


37 posted on 01/01/2012 11:38:33 AM PST by CainConservative ( Newt/Rubio 2012 with Cain, Bolton, Santorum, Perry, Watts, Duncan, & Bachmann in Newt's Cabinet)
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To: reaganaut
Good job (but the middle two are the same fyi).

"I meant to do that. I've always been a supporter of dual-posting the ones in the middle. That's what I intended to do. I've never posted the identical animated .gifs side by side. Any reports of me posting two identical ones in the middle are false and slanderous political attacks." ~ Willard Mitt Romney

38 posted on 01/01/2012 11:39:22 AM PST by Scoutmaster (You knew the job was dangerous when you took it)
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To: reaganaut

39 posted on 01/01/2012 11:41:13 AM PST by Scoutmaster (You knew the job was dangerous when you took it)
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To: TBBT

5th and 6th place finishers don’t get tickets out of Iowa.........................................................................................


40 posted on 01/01/2012 11:41:35 AM PST by CainConservative ( Newt/Rubio 2012 with Cain, Bolton, Santorum, Perry, Watts, Duncan, & Bachmann in Newt's Cabinet)
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