Posted on 02/21/2012 1:05:05 PM PST by DestroyLiberalism
The Michigan Republican Primary is just a week away, and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is holding on to a small lead over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Republican Primary Voters in Michigan shows Santorum with 38% of the vote to Romney’s 34%. Well behind are Texas Congressman Ron Paul with 10% support and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at nine percent (9%). Only one percent (1%) prefers some other candidate in the race, while eight percent (8%) are undecided.
The margin between the top two candidates is little changed from last week when Santorum posted a 35% to 32% lead over Romney in the latter's native state. The story was drastically different three weeks ago when Romney coming off his big Florida Primary win led Santorum 38% to 17%.
When the other candidates are taken out of the equation, Santorum leads Romney 47% to 40% in a two-man race in Michigan. That’s a bit closer than Santorum’s 12-point lead last week.
This Michigan survey of 750 Likely Republican Primary Voters was conducted on February 20, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC.
(Excerpt) Read more at rasmussenreports.com ...
“Santorum-bashing Gingrich supporters need to STFU. We both need Romney to lose.”
Agreed. I was a Perry supporter, now I’m in Newt’s camp. But I can definitely live with Santorum. We gotta keep our eyes on the big picture here: beat Romney, then Obama.
And as for should Newt endorse Rick in Michigan or should Rick have endorsed Newt in FL, that’s a pretty silly discussion IMHO. This is a primary, and if a candidate is to be seen as viable, they need to at least have the pretense of competing in every state in which they are on the ballot. If one candidate endorsed a competitor in even one specific state, I think it would most likely spell the end of their candidacy.
You’re using your standard lying strawman debating techniques.
I didn’t say that Fleisher endorsed anybody. He said that Romney was fading, and Santorum was rising, and that Romney wasn’t likely to succeed.
That is a total abandonment of the position that Romney was the likely, sensible candidate.
Take your meds.
Amazingly absurd.
That should be all it takes to tell us that Newt is the man for President. The establishment AND the Demorat Party are worried. Newt knows how DC works and where the skeletons are buried.
GO NEWT !
Fleisher said everything he possibly could, short of openly endorsing Santorum. Rush’s interpretation is perfect on this.
Also its not just Fleisher, either Gilespie and a few others, like Mike Doran are puffing Santorum. It is clear that the establishment is positioning for abandonment of Romney, and resting their hopes on Santorum, who has really been a better servant for them than Romney ever was.
You do understand that Santorum did not pick up any delegates in Minn, MO or Nevada? that Newt should have half of the delegates in Fla if the state and RNC abided by the rules.
Surely you are also aware that Santorum needs over 1,000 plus candidates to get the gop nomination? why in the hell should Newt drop out. There is still a lot more vetting to be done on Rick Santorum. Voters need to read more on his voting record and he has been given a free pass so far...Newt should stay in as he is the best man running..PERIOD
make that over 1,000 plus delegates! this race is still very fluid. The Newt supporters want him IN!
Those who can't handle truth drink. So it's no surprise YOU are the one who, not only brought up drink, but early. Keep talking imposter.
He has a TRUNK LOAD of negatives - you just ignore them but they will get exposed when the media gets their turn at him - right now it's too early because they want NEWT out!
You are doing the job for the GOP E and the liberal media. You Compromisers can never speak about liberals after this election - you bought the bait hook line and sinker!
I continue to believe it is too early for either of the two main “not Romney” candidates to drop out.
However, if you're a voter in Michigan, you really need to support Santorum if you can do so without violating your principles. There's a real chance of knocking Romney out of the race with a defeat in Michigan.
If Romney is out of the race, then we can have a meaningful debate on the differences — some of them real and others not so important — between Santorum and Gingrich.
As this thread shows, Gingrich himself is deciding not to campaign in Michigan and to put his efforts elsewhere:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2849466/posts
The goal is to stop Romney. I'd be saying the same thing in reverse for a state where Gingrich is leading, or (gag me) places like Maine and Virginia where Ron Paul was or is the main anti-Romney.
If you're a Gingrich supporter and can't vote for Santorum based on your principles, I respect that, just as I understand why someone like me would have to think very hard before deciding what to do in Maine or Virginia — I don't know if I could vote for Ron Paul even if I knew he was the only chance in those two states of stopping a Romney win.
20 posted on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 3:39:59 PM by Darren McCarty: “He said that Chuck Yob is supporting Santorum.”
Very interesting. I moved out a Michigan a decade ago and haven't had any reason to talk to anyone at that level of establishment Republican leadership from Michigan in many years, but I'm encouraged to see Yob supporting Santorum.
I'm old enough to remember Chuck Yob driving me around in his expensive car showing off his new toy — a phone in the car that he explained helped him do business during “down time” of driving around. Seemed like a really neat idea at the time and it was the first time I (or most other people) had ever seen a mobile phone. He explained that it was sort of like the technology of CB radios but called actual phone numbers and was basically private instead of being broadcast all over CB frequencies, and that his car phone could be called by people from standard rotary-dial or the newer pushbutton telephones.
Yes, young-uns, there really was a day before cell phones!
I’m having a really hard time convincing myself to vote for Ron Paul in Virginia. I am going to go to the polls. I’m going to sign in, and get my voting card for the machine.
But I don’t know if I’m going to make a selection or not. I’m certain Paul isn’t going to get 50% in my congressional district, so it doesn’t really matter one way or the other.
I’m trying to find out if they are going to count undervotes. I’m going to push for them to release the undervote counts, and if so, I’ll probably suggest that people who don’t like either candidate to still come out and “not vote”, so we can be counted. It’s all symbolic.
If I thought Paul had a chance of getting 50%, I’m still not sure I could vote for him.
I DON’T want Newt AND Santorum in.
Running together they split the conservative vote ASSURING a Romney victory.
Right now Santorum has the clear lead. That’s why I feel Gingrich should get out. If things reverse themselves down the road, so will I.
The fate of America is too important to be relegated to a popularity contest between two personalities.
Even if you’re a Newt fan, ya gotta love how Santorum is giving Myth ulcers :-)
“He is more electable than Newt because of his strength in the midwest swing states and his appeal to ethnic Catholics there and his much lower negatives. WHAT? Electable because of some states - NOTHING ABOUT HE BEING CAPABLE OF DOING THE JOB?”
Tell me. How does one “do the job” without being elected? Newt is not going to be elected. Wake up and smell the coffee. He has won one primary. he finished a distant second to Mittens in two others. He has finished fourth or fifth in the other six contests. Newt is poised to finish fourth in Michigan (behind Rue Paul) and a weak third in Arizona. By next Tuesday night, he will have lost ten straight primaries and will have finished third or fourth in eight straight primaries going into Super Tuesday the following week. Newt is not going to be the nominee. Capiche?
He is dead man walking, politically speaking. So you can speculate until the cows come home about how much more capable he is of being President than Santorum (the truth is that neither of them ever had an Executive position, so I have no idea what you are basing your speculation on)
Newt’s negatives are through the roof and his poll numbers are in the toilet. He is sinking in Georgia.
I am not doing the work of the GOP-E., and you know it. I was a consistent and vocal supporter of Sarah Palin until she decided not to run.
I am simply recognizing reality. You, on the other hand, are promoting a candidate who has virtually no chance of being nominated. It doesn’t bother me that you are promoting him. I think, after next Tuesday, he will slip into irrelevance. But, if Newt should make a comeback and being to divide the conservative vote with Santorum, who does this help, my man?
Enjoy being a GOP E mimic? You are a dime dozen - same words/same mindset.
Conservatives are for NEWT, Compromisers fall for anything.
Again, a silly and bogus ad hominem. The only one not telling the truth is you, dear ed, so cut the personal attacks and defend this ridiculous statement....
Now that Ari Fleisher has let the cat out of the bag, that the GOP establishment is switching to Santorum, things are going to get interesting.
Of course, since it's BUNK, you can't, so I will wait with baited breath for your next dopey personal attack on me, and evasion of the fact that your first post was completely untrue.
(Whoever said it upthread is right on target. With 'friends' like you, Newt needs no enemies).
That is a total abandonment of the position that Romney was the likely, sensible candidate.
Incidentally, your conclusions and evasions in this post are equally bunk.
If you're capable of rational discussion (not sure from what I see here), I will add to the comments of Mike DeWine (whom I cannot stand, btw), that here in Ohio, observing what he is seeing on the ground, the enthusiasm is for Santorum.
Mikey is fully establishment, he was not endorsing any more than Ari, but was observing that the conservative voters.....yes, the CONSERVATIVE voters........are enthused about Santorum.
You'll have to deal with that, ed. Because it's true.
Oh yeah.......and if you're going to be personally insulting, you should at least try to be creative.
This is really a stupid attack. It makes you look like a complete dope.
Just for the record. :)
Ya know, I could vote for Ron Paul if he got the nomination.
Of course, I say that with the total assurance that he won’t but, he’s better than Obama on national issues and, really, no worse on international issues.
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