http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/01/04/this_race_is_far_from_over
Should have included that in the first place, but my HTML-fu fails.
Rush thinks positively about all the candidates with the possible exception of Romney. He also said he was sorry to see Bachmann go. It was hardly an endorsement of Perry - which is how it is now being spun by some folks here.
I love Rush, once again he’s right.
Is that old windbag still on the air?
This is one time I’ll have to disagree with Rush.
Time to start focusing on Santorum.
Why, Rush? I know you like the guy personally, but he's simply going to split the conservative vote in South Carolina, which only benefits Romney. Perry has no hope of taking the state himself.
Bad day for Rush. He's off his game.
If Perry would only attack and direct his campaign at Obama, he’d win. We’re all sick of this infighting and want to see someone who’s going to really take Obama on.
possibly-of-interest ping
I could’ve sworn I saw Perry stepping down last night? Didn’t he?
Yes, he is third on my list now.
I can’t stop coming back to Gingrich.
I keep hearing how he sohould not have said. “Romney lies”
He should just roll over?
If he stays in, then I wish he would stop attacking Santorum, as he did yesterday at a critical moment. As it is, he has basically worked as a spoiler.
Looks like Perry had the same fate as Tim Tebow
He should never have used that line
With that said I hope he stays in because Santorum is not going to last
The best way to get Romney out is for...
RAPID CONSOLIDATION
of the field.
Bachmann did the right thing and dropped out.
It was the right thing for her to do at this point for 2 reasons:
1) It offered the chance for Santorum to capitalize on his own success and he’s the most conservative guy left.
2) There is no way she was going to win at this point with all the headwinds of a) the media, b) the Republican establishment and c) the far left all hammering away at her.
Regarding Perry...
If it comes down to Perry and Gingrich, Perry loses.
If it comes down to Perry and Mittens, Perry loses.
If it comes down to Perry and Santorum, Perry loses.
Almost all of Perry’s fundraising comes from Texas - he has very little support across the rest of the nation.
Perry is not going to be much help in pulling support away from Mittens. Mitten’s minions will not be endorsing Perry any time soon.
Perry won’t be helpful as debate “fodder” because he’s a sympathetic character compared to the remaining field so anyone attacking him looks bad. Romney will be taking the high road as he has all along and simply saying as little as possible, smiling and speaking in platitudes, SOP for machine candidates.
Perry should do the right thing for conservatism - like Bachmann did - and get out ASAP. This will maximize how many of his supporters will go for Santorum early on enough to make a difference.
If Santorum can consolidate his lead over Romney early, he may be able to push him back on his heels enough that he can’t recover. If he can’t keep picking up momentum, he’s cooked.
Time is on Romney’s side. Every day Romney stays in the race is another day the media - most importantly Fox - can keep supporting him with free ingratiating coverage and subtly sowing seeds of doubt in the minds of viewers about all the other candidates. They’re real nice, dontcha know, but ... hmmm... Romney is “safe” dontcha know...
If Newt and Santorum do not get Romney knocked out by the time super tuesday is wrapped up, IMHO, a comeback for either of them against Mittens would be extremely unlikely.
IMHO, it’s time to get Mittens out at this point.
For Newtsie,
If it comes down to Newt and Mittens, Newt loses.
If it comes down to Newt and Santorum, it could go either way.
If it comes down to Newt and Perry, Newt wins.
For Santorum,
If it comes down to Santorum and Mittens, it could go either way.
If it comes down to Santorum and Newt, it could go either way.
If it comes down to Santorum and Perry, Santorum wins.
>Rush a while back that Perry is his dream candidate.
http://gretawire.blogs.foxnews.com/rush-limbaugh-on-the-record-3/
FROM THE ARTICLE:
If Rick Perry drops out of the race it will be the ultimate failure of the tea party movement to see the race come down to two or three big government conservatives. Romney and Santorum both hide behind compassionate conservatism to expand the state to suit their purposes. Only Rick Perry has run a campaign to make Washington “as inconsequential to our lives as possible.”
If I were Perry, I’d wake up tomorrow, say I refuse to surrender the Republican Party into the hands of big government conservatives after all the gains the tea party has made, and then announce I’m firing all my political staffers and communications staffers and ask South Carolina to help me reboot to victory. Make it an Alamo stand and, if like at the Alamo Perry goes down, perhaps there’ll at least be a rallying cry for small government conservatism left over.
That’s just me. Perry’s policy people have been phenomenal. The comms staff and political staff so badly bungled this that Rick Perry just suffered the first political loss of his career.
Don’t count on it happening though.
As you wake up this morning, the tea party has failed because it has surrendered itself into the hands of Romney, Santorum, or Gingrich — all of whom would use government to suit allegedly conservative ends, which is not conservative in and of itself. But by God Mitt Romney may now get the political beating everyone has been expecting him to get. Newt Gingrich has nothing left to lose. He can go Newtlear against the guy he sees as having destroyed him. Newt Gingrich can unleash unmitigated hell against MItt Romney and just like the attacks on Newt were true, they’ll all be true about MItt Romney too
Looks like the loser 5th placer is jockeying for Romney’s VP slot...he knows he has no chance in hell, he only wants to divide the vote to help Slick Willard.
A backstop? TO TAKE VOTES FROM SANTORUM so Romney can win with 25% again?
Rick Perry is a fool for staying in this race.