I’ve got to ask. Why would conservative primary voters be more swayed by the media than by ads from the various candidates? You would think it was the opposite.
One factor is Romney PAC’s attacks are from the right, and they consider the attacker. The media attacks are like reverse english. If the media can create the perception that Santorum is less electable in the general, primary voters will flee Santorum again. Many people are ABO at all cost. They don’t necessarily buy the media argument directly, but they think it will work on the independents. It’s just a matter of how successful the media is at creating this perception in primary voters minds.
Case in point, this ad from Rick might be swaying them back to Newt:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2848555/posts