Posted on 02/04/2012 3:31:39 PM PST by Clintonfatigued
Those who continue to believe that Romney can be stopped are focused — as is the campaign of Newt Gingrich — on the possibility of a long delegate fight. They have largely given up hope of anyone winning a knockout victory over Romney, hoping instead that some other candidate can prevent the former Massachusetts governor from wrapping the race up before the Republican National Convention, which is set for Tampa, Fla., in late August.
“We have never gone through a delegate fight like this,” said Bob Vander Plaats, an influential conservative and the head of the Iowa-based Family Leader organization. “You need around 600 delegates to win, and I think that will be very difficult for Gov. Romney.”
Vander Plaats added that the reason Gingrich has been emphasizing that there are 46 states to go in the contest is because “he can do the math”.
Similar themes are sounded by prominent conservatives in the media. Erick Erickson of Red State wrote Thursday that the fact that many states award their delegates proportionally, rather than on a winner-take-all basis, could play to Gingrich’s advantage.
“If Gingrich is serious about staying in till the convention, he could deny Romney a first ballot win and spare the base from the man they don’t like, even if Newt himself cannot get the nomination. He is more of a long shot today than he was a day before Florida, but he can still be the nominee,” Erickson wrote.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
When the Republican convention convenes, Mitt Romney will probably have more delegates than any other candidate. But it’s possible that we can make him fall short of winning on the first ballot. If that can be achieved, than maybe a compromise candidate can emerge.
Having a brokered convention, is the only way to stop Romney, but there is the risk of having a splintered party.
Neither solution makes me feel good about 2012.
I will vote for Paul on “Super Tuesday” in Virginia to let the establishment know I am one voter not happy with Romney as our nominee.
I do hope others in Virginia will join me in sending this message.
” there is the risk of having a splintered party.”
It already is splintered: GOP-E vs Tea Party.
Just think. The first American presidential race in history where neither candidate is a Christian.
I have a sinking feeling Santorum is staying in so he can amass enough delegates to put Romney over the top. I’m not sure what he gets in return, though.
Many of Santorum’s supporters find Gingrich as unacceptable as Romney.
[Having a brokered convention, is the only way to stop Romney, but there is the risk of having a splintered party.]
The party is already irreparably splintered betwen GOPE and Tea Party. Deal with it and move on to a solution.
IF Fla would abide by the National Republican Party Primary rules..NEWT would be UP there in delegates! not sure of the exact count but do know he would have been ahead of Romney going into Nevada!
and many Gingrich supporters find Santorum to be almost as bad as Romney
I know absolutely “no one” who will vote for Mittens the RINO. Shall we just call the RomneyCare lover a Zero clone? BTW, can we all agree that ObamaCare/RomneyCare is just another Auschwitz-style way to eliminate whomever the “Wannabe Dictator(s) and Liberals in Congress choose?
The party is already splintered. Many conservatives say they are tired of holding their noses and voting for the lesser of two evils, and that they will not vote for Romney if he gets the nomination.
The only way Romney can unite the party if he is the nominee is to pick a genuine conservative as a running mate and then pretend to be a conservative as Nixon did in 1968 and 1972, and as Bush did in 1988.
So true - Kartographer's posts are more popular than ever now...
I wouldn't vote for Mitt Romney if a resurrected Ronald Reagan was his running mate and Mitt sounded like William Buckley. A conservative VP is only for show to those who are dumb enough to believe that he or she would have any influence in a Romney Administration. Mitt Romney will say anything to get people to vote for him but his track record says that he is a Rockefeller Republican to his core.
we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, Mitt Romney will not win.
The party is much more than splintered already, it is almost balkanized.
Just contrast Santorum and Reagan's own words.
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Santorum:
“This whole idea of personal autonomy, well I don’t think most conservatives hold that point of view. Some do. They have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do, government should keep our taxes down and keep our regulations low, that we shouldn’t get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn’t get involved in cultural issues. You know, people should do whatever they want. Well, that is not how traditional conservatives view the world and I think most conservatives understand that individuals can’t go it alone.”
Reagan:
"I'm convinced that today the majority of Americans want what those first Americans wanted: A better life for themselves and their children; a minimum of government authority. Very simply, they want to be left alone in peace and safety to take care of the family by earning an honest dollar and putting away some savings. This may not sound too exciting, but there is something magnificent about it. On the farm, on the street corner, in the factory and in the kitchen, millions of us ask nothing more, but certainly nothing less than to live our own lives according to our values — at peace with ourselves, our neighbors and the world.
One possibility is support the Republican candidate whomever he is solely to vote “The Divine One” out of office. That will buy conservatives four additional years within which to form a new party. To remain with the Republican party appears to be impossible for we conservatives.
I will never give up my natural rights as ennumerated in our Constitution. Therefore, I can never support anyone who is on record as opposing them.
Which means the Obama, Romney... *AND* Santorum are out.
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