Gingrich Takes His Stand in Dixieland

Fox News.com ^ | Published March 13, 2012 | Chris Stirewalt

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Gingrich Takes His Stand in Dixieland

"Both boys said a lot of things I agree with, but it's the way Newt said it that I think has me going with him…"

-- Previously undecided Jefferson County, Ala. voter Obie Evans talking to the Birmingham News after hearing speeches by former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at a GOP forum.

The current Republican nominating process has done serious damage to the old notions about “must-win” races and momentum.

Fourth-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire? No problem. You can still win South Carolina by 12 points. Thirty-three points off the lead in Florida and 40 points back in Nevada in the same week? No sweat. You can come right back and win caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado.

But if ever there was a “must-win” moment in this rangy race, it’s for Newt Gingrich in today’s Dixie Primary. Gingrich needs a win in one or both of the contests in Alabama and Mississippi and if he does lose one, it had better not be to Rick Santorum.

A week ago today, Santorum suffered a painful loss in Ohio, a bastion of Reagan Democrats right next door to his former home state of Pennsylvania. Coming just one week after a pair of losses in Michigan and Arizona, it might have been the end of the road for the top rival to frontrunner Mitt Romney. (Snip)

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Remember, Gingrich’s strategy is to string together victories in six delegate-rich core states of the former Confederacy: South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. That would be enough to deny Romney an outright win and give Gingrich the chance to emerge as the dark-horse victor at the Republican National Convention in Florida. He’ll live or die in Dixie.

Santorum faces high stakes too. He still claims that he can win the nomination outright and won’t need a contested convention to get the nomination, but if he finishes third in these deeply Republican states behind Gingrich and Romney, that proposition would look more doubtful.

[FrankR]

[C. Edmund Wright]

Love that!

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

LOL! Santorum still thinks he can win this outright. He has said not, but it is obvious. No wonder he lost his Senate Seat by a record margin. The guy is clueless, besides that, the talks way too much and says way too little of actual substance. Unless it is something he stole from Newt. (Or Romney)

[dfwgator]

Go Newt!

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Huckabee is on FOX right now, saying that Newt is still very much alive. He is also stressing that both Newt and Santorum can hold Romney down best, if they stay in as long as possible. That if either candidate drop out, Romney will win much sooner.

Mike Huckabee has started thinking logically for some reason.

[Ingtar]

Let’s just get Romney to drop out, then we can have real fun.

[Ingtar]

Do you think this might make any difference in the close Alabama race?

ALABAMA GOVERNOR ROBERT BENTLEY CASTS HIS VOTE FOR RICK SANTORUM

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Yup, Romney's actions against Newt in Florida, is what triggered the Santorum insanity in the first place.

Romney is corrupt and evil. He will likely win this round, but in the end, he will pay for his dishonest persona.

It is not a matter that he won, it is a matter of HOW he won. (Ill gotten gain)

[annieokie]

That says it all, and why I support Newt Gingrich. Our future, Newt is a visionary, sees things that are not but can be, aka as FAITH.

Newt still knows & sees the greatness of America, if only we can be unshackled and free to explore new ventures and territories, and people want to laugh at that? That is stupidity.

The Democrats have turned America into a CAN'T DO. NEWT is the only one that says WE CAN and WILL DO.

[Vigilanteman]

I can easily see Gingrich sweeping through South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. But all that will do is solidify his image as a regional candidate, not give the party a compelling reason to put him at the head of the ticket in November.

Unlike Santorum, he's way too old to be pacified with a VP slot or other key appointment. His opportunity to wield any influence will pretty much be over after Texas votes on May 29, maybe even by the end of this month if he doesn't sweep Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. It's a high risk strategy, but it's his only hope.

[C. Edmund Wright]

Huckabee is on FOX right now, saying that Newt is still very much alive. He is also stressing that both Newt and Santorum can hold Romney down best, if they stay in as long as possible. That if either candidate drop out, Romney will win much sooner.

I am not sure I agree with all of that, though Newt is alive and if he wins at least one today and beats Santorum in both, then he is very alive.

Now where I disagree is that the voters of the two candidates are not totally the same type person. RS' voters are all either a: non Mitts or b: social only or c: deceived into believing RS is the real conservative in the race. Thus, I think they will mostly go to Newt if RS drops out.

BUT, and this is where I am simply theorizing, I think a portion of Newt's voters are motivated by different things - including ability, accomplishment, etc - and not all of those voters would go to RS. Some of course are non Mitts and movement conservatives and they would go grudgingly to RS.

[annieokie]

"Unless it is something he stole from NEWT"....ABSOLUTELY right on.

Notice that Rick is trying to attach himself to the TEA PARTY???

Rick is a "Me Too" person, same as John Kerry was.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

I am not sure that will matter much. The Governor has his purse strings and his political future entwined in the GOPE.

The regular voters, are not that loyal. Especially in the South.

[C. Edmund Wright]

Yup, Romney's actions against Newt in Florida, is what triggered the Santorum insanity in the first place.

Well, I would add Iowa to Florida, and there you do have it. Mitt so obsessed with Newt he jumped the financial and shamelessness sharks in Iowa and Florida - and Rick snuck in by default. Both Newt and Mitt's campaigns were blind to not see that coming. I remember screaming at the TV in the first Florida debate thinking "Newt WTF are you doing?"

[Eva]

I think it was Rush who made a statement that Huckabee had endorsed Romney, and Romney called the show to say that he had not endorsed Romney. Rush (or whoever) was questioning how Huckabee could endorse Romney after the things that he had said about him in 2008.

Anyway, Huckabee didn’t like being made to look like a hypocrite, and made it clear that he had not endorsed Romney, that McCain had, but he had not.

I never trusted Huckabee though. I didn’t like the way he joined with McCain in that West Virginia primary to shut out Romney. I never liked Romney either, though. I simply liked Romney better than McCain.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

I am right with you on that thought myself.

Several very intelligent analysists have concluded that if Newt were to drop out, most of those votes would NOT go to Santorum, they would go between Paul and Romney.

I firmly agree with that. But if santo were to drop out, they would overwhelmingly go to Newt.

But we know that Santo is now getting desperate again, and his Ego won't accept the fact that even now, it is hopeless for him to win, based on his severe disorganization and failure to comply with registration rules in several of the remaining states.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Nope, since Bentley is a big fan of the teachers unions and vice versa. Birds of a feather...

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

It’s obvious to most logical and thinking people like yourself.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

I never trusted or liked Huckabee. He is a phony, just like Santorum. They are both carbon copies of each other, besides the fact that the Huckster has vastly more Executive experience than Santo. (As moderate/Liberal as both of them are.)