Santorum: ‘We’re Going To Win This Race’

CBS News/DC ^ | 01/31/2012 | Staff

[writer33]

LUVERNE, Minn. (AP) — As political watchers fixated on Florida, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum delivered a message to Minnesotans: The race is still on, no matter the outcome of Tuesday’s primary.

Santorum, speaking Monday to a crowd of about 300 people at the Palace Theatre in the southwest town of Luverne, seemed determined to regain the Midwest momentum he’d enjoyed in Iowa — even on the eve of Florida’s primary, in which the senator hasn’t polled well.

“I believe we’re going to be in it until the end, and I believe we’re going to win this race,” Santorum told an enthusiastic crowd.

[ansel12]

I would rather that Santorum drop out and let the left and right fight it out.

See if Newt can win over some of those romneylite people.

[ngat]

“...but he needs to decide who he is...”

No, he is what his listeners in their minds make him out to be. He takes all sides of the difficult issues so as to never be pinned down on his positions. He calls himself America’s Anchorman at the same time as calling himself defacto head of the republican party - all tongue in cheek, of course, or he’s just quoting what somebody else has said about him.

Today for example, he predicted a win by 15 to 20% in his first hour, then by the last hour has changed that prediction to 10 to 15%. He accused Gingrich supporters of being foremost - Romney haters. Plenty of subtle anti-Gingrich stuff, pro-Santorum stuff, soft criticism of Romney stuff, but in the last hour he went through all sorts of contortions talking about all the emails he gets with everybody all mad at him for being so hard on their particular candidate, therefore; Rush has everybody hating him - don’t you see! He hasn’t taken sides - he’s nuetral! To top off the theme that he isn’t attacking Gingrich and really still backs the anti-establishment wing of the party he even found an MSNBC quote where Michael Steele no less, lumps Limbaugh in with Governor Sarah Palin in some way. We are now supposed to be relieved - Rush is still one of us! Rush still has his street cred!

The last thing Rush Limbaugh would ever do is be serious, or a threat to the existing order. He’s an entertainer, but a sneaky one. Conservatives need to monitor Limbaugh, not believe in him.

[Joe 6-pack]

"I would rather that Santorum drop out and let the left and right fight it out."

I think we need to give voters a chance to pull the lever for their candidate of choice in a few more closed primary states before we start closing any doors...

[Joe 6-pack]

"I would rather that Santorum drop out and let the left and right fight it out."

I think we need to give voters a chance to pull the lever for their candidate of choice in a few more closed primary states before we start closing any doors...

[Sun]

Rick Santorum was THE most effective candidate to bring out just how bad Romneycare is/was!

[writer33]

Yes, sir, he is the candidate that can do just that.

[wardaddy]

I supported Perry till his stumbles but he’s gone and unlike Santorum did the right thing to try to9
thwart Mitt

Santorum now is just a spoiler ...he has 40 percent the support Newt had in Florida

and nationally...about the same lag behind Newt...makes no sense

[mylife]

I never did cotton to Santorum.

[ansel12]

My goal is to stop Romney, and only Newt can do that.

Romney wants Santorum, the man who endorsed him for President in 2008, to stay right where he is, and to keep at it.

[Joe 6-pack]

"Romney wants Santorum, the man who endorsed him for President in 2008, to stay right where he is, and to keep at it."

That doesn't square all that well with your citation of Rush in #38 which suggests Santorum is siphoning more votes from Romney than he is from Gingrich.

[Fledermaus]

He must have a Van Hilleary complex.

[ansel12]

In a race with these three, Gingrich cannot confront those voters between Mitt and a conservative, so they aren’t up for grabs, Santorum muddies the waters, dilutes the contrast, and really confuses who is good and who is bad.

Out of the race the Santorum effect, and his balance of posturing against Newt while leaving Romney mostly alone, and having Romney do the same in reverse, would be gone, giving Newt a chance to pin Mitt to the wall and work on him, Newt could probably win over most Santorum voters perhaps.

We do know that Newt reads Santorum as helping Romney, and so does Romney.

I didn’t know that Santorum was supporting Arlen Specter for President in 1996, and then Romney in 2008.

This is really beginning to stink.

[newzjunkey]

He beat McCain by 10% in 2008, pulling 39%. Michigan voted much earlier that year so it was a more crowded field.

I'm sure Santorum will overcome and save us all. /s

[JohnBovenmyer]

There used to be, and probably still is, a fair amount of support here for the concept of term limits. Why? Because we've seen too many who started out as good Conservatives and grew into RINOs the longer they were there. There aren't any ratings for how either candidate acted after leaving, for whatever reasons, Congress. But similar reasoning applies and what they've done since then deserves to be in the equation.

Based on the Florida numbers I'm seeing now if you add to Newt's total the votes for Bachmann, Perry and Cain, all of whom I've believed endorsed him, and then add in Santorum's total you get 46.13% more or less Conservatives. Mitt alone got 46.42% and realistically, if we're adding departed candidates, he should get Huntsman's giving a RINO total of 46.79%. Adding Johnson's pittance to Paul gives 7.08% Libertarians. Unless you could get all the Conservatives and nearly 55% of the Libertarian vote no one could beat Mitt here and now. If you think of where rich NE RINOs go to retire and avoid the taxes they created, it makes since that this should be a Mitt state. Santorum can't be blamed for Newt losing; at most he can be blamed for adding to the margin of Newt's loss.

Regardless of any lack of fairness and truth in the negative Florida barrage against Newt, the result was Newt didn't handle it as well as he needed to. If he's to win the general, given that Obama's skills and resources at such tactics will exceed Romney's, he'll need to improve. If he can't, and the claim that "Newt gives us the best chance vs. Obama-like records and tactics" is true, Florida's result is dispiriting and reason to pray for miracles. And if we need a miraculous finish, remember from what state extreme longshot Rocky Balboa came.

[dixiechick2000]

“at this point...he is a spoiler for Mitt...nothing more”

This year’s Huckster.

I like him, personally, but he’s not more conservative than Newt.

[wardaddy]

not a bad post....i agree...Florida gave us Mitt because it is well....Florida

i am a former Miami resident 88/95

summer in SoWal

and grew up going to Destin

have kin in Jax...and our own Matt Bracken

my dad as a utility contractor did much of original Disney water and sewer transmission and wet well works

i know the state well from Cape Sable to Cedar Key and were money no object I’d have a place at Boca Grande

but Florida ain’t what it used to be

i miss the Florida of Coppertone billboards....gone as surely as a Stephen Foster daydream

replaced with something odd

[cripplecreek]

Keep attacking please.

Its working so well. LOL

[cripplecreek]

“He’s in it for another reason. He wants to be the conservative on Romney’s ticket.”

You don't find that odd that we've gone right down the list and seen every single candidate accused of the same?

Progressive tactics from a man who promises open borders and more government.

[cripplecreek]

I think Newt has a secret deal to be Ron Paul’s VP.

lol

[Pinkbell]

Using a candidate’s disabled daughter to get him to drop out so your candidate can get his votes? Low.