What happened to Romney, the 'inevitable' candidate?

cnn.com ^ | January 21, 2012 | John Avlon

[Tailgunner Joe]

At the Romney HQ, the atmosphere was like someone died before a big party, but the caterers still arrived, standing glumly behind the cash bar.

Supporters on bleachers behind the podium were prompted to chant "Florida! Florida!" as a way of pivoting attention forward from the debacle that was unfolding as Newt was declared the early winner.

The state of the race has fundamentally changed in the course of one dizzying week. The inevitability narrative that surrounded Mitt Romney -- along with the claim that he was the only GOP candidate to ever win both Iowa and New Hampshire -- has collapsed.

[JLAGRAYFOX]

Simple, Mitt Romney turned into a whimp!!! No answers, no passion, no fire in the belly!!! John McCain, redux, telling us what a wonderful guy, America Hater, Barack Hussein “Muslim Brotherhood Lover” Obama was and is!!! We are fighting for our nations survival, Mitt!!! No whimps needed here!!!

[lightman]

What happened? He got NEWTered!

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[Jim Robinson]

Newt go boom.

[big'ol_freeper]

Next...

[HereInTheHeartland]

Very few people ever liked Romney. They were just resigned to think he was the best way to beat Obama. After Newt showed in the debates what he could do, minds changed.

[MamaDearest]

John McCain, redux

The GOP and RNC, multiple Fox News commentators and RINOs nationwide are still glowy eyed for Mitt. They aren't finished pushing the envelope yet.

[bksanders]

Gosh, don't you guys get it?
South Carolina and its gun toting Christian rednecks "Clingers" are unimportant.
It's the upwardly mobile aristocratic elite that matter, you know the New Hampshire types.

Ya got ya a$$ handed to ya boy, now run on.

[Political Junkie Too]

As I've been saying all week, it was astroturf.

The GOP manipulated the reporting of returns in Iowa in order to manufacture "winner" headlines for Romney going into New Hampshire, where he didn't need them.

Then they leveraged the NH win into the meme that "nobody has ever won BOTH Iowa and New Hampshire since 1976." This was supposed to give Romney the big momentum going into South Carolina.

It was all manufactured, and it fell apart. The people aren't buying it anymore.

-PJ

[RC one]

TEA POWER BABY!!!! GO NEWT!!!!!

[delacoert]

After Newt showed in the debates what he could do, minds changed.

<nod>

[delacoert]

After Newt showed in the debates what he could do, minds changed.

<nod>

[1010RD]

Romney didn’t win Iowa, Santorum did.

[delacoert]

After Newt showed in the debates what he could do, minds changed.

Romney go pfft.

[seton89]

Based on information and belief, Romney is a fine technician. He is not an idea man. His concepts are plastic sound bites.

Newt has the intellectual horsepower to gut President Teleprompter.

[Cheerio]

.....glowy eyed for Mitt

Here is one of those Mittens worshipers......hard to stomach!! South Carolina Votes

"Two late posts underscore how Romney will benefit from a growing worry that a Gingrich nomination would spell doom for the GOP: John Hinderaker's at Powerline and John Taylor's at Episconixonian. That spreading sense of panic at the prospect of Newt as GOP standard-bearer because of numbers like these won't arrive in time to stop Gingrich in the Palmetto State, and Newt supporters like Dan Riehl and Chuck Norris explain why they won't be deterred from voting Newt."

[Lancey Howard]

The inevitability narrative that surrounded Mitt Romney...

...Which was a phony narrative from the beginning, a narrative fomented by the GOP establishment elite and eagerly stoked by the Democrat "mainstream" newsrooms. The conservative base wants a fighting candidate who will punch the bisexual Muslim in the mouth, not run "an honorable campaign".

[Proud2BeRight]

RINO Romney won one liberal Eastern primary with the help of crossover Democrats. The establishment GOP and the Obama and liberal media may want another weak lack luster left-leaner for Obama to run against but mainstream America may have a different idea.

[philman_36]

...along with the claim that he was the only GOP candidate to ever win both Iowa and New Hampshire...

Reversal: Final Iowa Count Shows Santorum Got More Votes Than Romney

When 2 Became 22

We have a winner the media hailed,
The top spot has surely been nailed.
Suck it up the establishment cried
Tonight all your campaigns have died.

Not so fast cried Edward True
The votes didn't go to you.
Votes were counted that were not cast
This final tally cannot last.

And so it seems that an error was made
Crushing the hopes that had been laid.
For when the votes were gone through
2 votes had magically became 22.

Now none will say "the fix was in"
They just wanted their man to win
An honest mistake is the cry
Yet it sounds to me like another lie.