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Why Rick Santorum's once-generous lead in Wisconsin is eroding
Christian Science Monitor ^ | March 30, 2012 | Mark Guarino

Posted on 03/31/2012 12:43:50 PM PDT by PSYCHO-FREEP

By the time Mitt Romney arrives in Wisconsin Friday – his first campaign stop in the state before its GOP primary on Tuesday – his challenger Rick Santorum will have already become a familiar face. Mr. Santorum has been in Wisconsin since last weekend and has dined, bowled, and played shuffleboard with residents in every pocket of the state. He’s even tossed a football at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers.

Santorum’s once-generous lead in Wisconsin is eroding. In February, the former US senator polled at 34 percent among the state’s likely Republican voters, while Mr. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, trailed far back at 18 percent, according to a Marquette University Law School poll.

Current Wisconsin polling shows Romney leading, 39 percent to Santorum’s 31 percent.

What happened? The easy answer is money. The Romney campaign is armed with seemingly unlimited campaign resources to flood local airwaves and phone banks, resulting in the candidate not necessarily having to step foot in the state until just before its voters head to the booths.

By early this week in Wisconsin, combined spending by the Romney campaign and Restore Our Future, a pro-Romney “super political-action committee,” totaled about $2 million in television advertising, much of it negative. By contrast, Santorum’s campaign had spent under $100,000 by last Sunday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and the Red White and Blue Fund, a super PAC backing Santorum, had spent about $300,000.

(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Politics/Elections; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: emptyvest; friess4gope; friess4romney; kenyanbornmuzzie; mittromney; newtgingrich; nobody; nocandidate; noconservative; noideas; nomanager; noreagan; novision; ricksantorum; santorum4gope; santorum4obama; santorum4romney; stalkinghorse4romney; wisconsin
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To: berdie

later


61 posted on 03/31/2012 1:55:11 PM PDT by berdie
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To: mylife

I agree with Rick that a purely service economy is a weak, dying economy. But, there is no reason that manufacturing jobs must go to union shops. I agree with you that arrogant unionism has killed millions of jobs. Bob


62 posted on 03/31/2012 1:55:33 PM PDT by alstewartfan ( 27 of 36 Romney judicial appointments were DEMOCRATS!!!!!)
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To: alstewartfan

My neighbor is a “union goon” who voted for Santorum for the same reason he voted for Reagan. Pro American, pro life, strong stance on the military, pro jobs tax policies etc.


63 posted on 03/31/2012 1:57:04 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: PSYCHO-FREEP

No, he doesn’t come across as an “angry, whiny hypocrite” anymore than either Obama who blames the middle-eastern mess or the problems of Greece for the state of the economy or what Gingrich says and does. We all saw how Gingrich complained about being targeted by Romney in Florida that he claimed was untrue and being outspent, on how he was left like a deer caught in the headlights in the pre-Florida debate complaining that Romney was asserting a bunch of lies against him that caught him flat-footed, or his petty attacks on Bain Capital that had Rush explode on his show, and how he lost his cool and temper and some say his mind during debates when asked by John King of CNN to comment about his ex-wife’s TV interniew which suggested his desire for an “open marriage.” Santorum’s BS outburst was mild compared to what GWB had called a NY Times reporter as a “big-time Ass Ho*e.” The NY Times deserved what it got and Sarah Palin applauded Santorum for his comments.

This whiny hyocrite meme is the stuff you’d expect to see on HuffPo or Move.On org websites.

Santorum has been outspent in some cases as much as 20 to 1 and yet in deep blue states Romney leads Santorum by thin single digit margins and nearly lost to Santorum in the former’s home state of MI (lost by 3 points aided and abetted by Gingrich with Adelson’s funds funneling off 7% of the votes) or worse in MI where Romney beat Santorm by a wafer-thin margin of under 1% while here again Gingrich whose campaign is nothing short of quixotic and is in disarray siphoned of a paltry 14% of the vote.

The absurdity of it all is that he took his suporters for quite a phony ride causing havoc to Santorum and his erstwhile followers unable to face up to reality, now face the humiliating irony of having Gingrich’s casino mogul sugar daddy whose super-pac bankrolled him upto the point of insuring Romney wins in MI, OH,and IL, is now embracing Romney. What fools!

Santorum needs the credit he’s gotten on a shoestring budget and scoring as many as 11 state wins so far.

Go Santorum Go!


64 posted on 03/31/2012 1:59:17 PM PDT by Steelfish (ui)
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To: alstewartfan

Unions destroyed my beautiful home.

I will never forget.

There is a reason I am in Texas and not with my family.

There is work here.


65 posted on 03/31/2012 2:00:23 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: napscoordinator
Well good luck getting you hero Romney elected. Leave me out. I could tell from the beginning you wanted Romney. Next time be more transparent.

This is just sour grapes. Screaming that everyone who couldn't support Santorum wanted Romney is childish. Virtually no one here ever wanted the chameleon as our nominee.

Many Newt supporters weren't behind Gingrich from the beginning. A lot of people, including myself, were for other candidates like Perry, or Bachmann or someone else from the outset. When our first choices were eliminated we tried to get behind a reasonable consensus candidate who had a legitimate chance to stop Romney and win the nomination if enough people would use logic. That person was Newt. Instead many social conservative voters did exactly what they so often do, support the guy who has no chance to win but can quote scripture best. We've seen this with Pat Robertson, Mike Huckabee and now Rick Santorum.

No candidate who thinks as President that he needs to begin a national conversation on why contraception is "not okay" is going to win. It's just not going to happen. Santorum never had a chance to reach outside of his social conservative base because he is too easy to bait into talking about condoms, porn, etc. Newt was probably a long shot, but he at least gave us a chance to change the dynamic, take on the media and establishment, and maybe really change conventional thinking and do something big. I think it was a big missed opportunity that so many invested time and energy into Santorum when he had about as much chance of being the nominee as Robertson or Huckabee - none.

66 posted on 03/31/2012 2:02:59 PM PDT by Longbow1969
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To: alstewartfan

I have told my Son that there is no shame in being an independent skilled laborer, but don’t join a damn union.

Do some skilled work that cant be outsourced and go to school if you want to while you make a decent wage.

Be beholden to no man


67 posted on 03/31/2012 2:04:51 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Happy Rain

“Really, the headline for this thread should read:

Rick Sux Vote For Romney

It’s a campaign thread for Willard.”

Indeed. Thinly veiled too, as is their severe-conservative etch-a-sketch false front candidate.


68 posted on 03/31/2012 2:09:12 PM PDT by Psalm 144 ("I think we ought to listen to Alinsky." - Gov. G. Romney (R), father of Bishop Willard M. Romney.)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJf_IKrEqrc


69 posted on 03/31/2012 2:14:53 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Steelfish
If Santorum were a dynamic politician, then he would have the organizational and planning skills to win the election.

You give him credit for his poorly planned, funded and operated campaign as if this is some great advantage. When in reality, it is the main reason he is now losing and will eventually be forced to drop out.

Where were you when santorum was only polling around 2%? (For 9 straight months) It is the only way he knows how to operate, which is on a shoe string. Then all of a sudden after a lucky stroke of events, Santo found himself a contender, but his poor ability kept him from taking the lead and keeping it.

It's a

70 posted on 03/31/2012 2:18:03 PM PDT by PSYCHO-FREEP (If you come to a fork in the road, take it........)
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To: PSYCHO-FREEP
polling around 2%? (For 9 straight months)

Indeed

71 posted on 03/31/2012 2:22:22 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: PSYCHO-FREEP

The GOOD news I heard by Rick Santorum in interview on EWTN WorldOver Thursday PM is that by their calculations, he is only a hundred some points behind.

Somewhere I saw how the calculations and apportioning the delegates look in an actual real valid distribution to have them come out this way.

GO RICK


72 posted on 03/31/2012 2:27:40 PM PDT by PraiseTheLord
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Oh Saint Ricky, I grew up in your hood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2zN53Vwnz0


73 posted on 03/31/2012 2:28:03 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: PraiseTheLord
LOL! Dream on. The delegate count is as follows, and remains the official, hard count.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/republican_delegate_count.html

After Wisconsin and all the other NE states in April, it will be pretty much over. Except of course, your fantasy candidate scoring guild. In addition to that, if what you claim were actually true, we would be seeing this in every headline and News Report in the nation.

Now, back to the real cruel world......

74 posted on 03/31/2012 2:40:13 PM PDT by PSYCHO-FREEP (If you come to a fork in the road, take it........)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks PSYCHO-FREEP.


75 posted on 03/31/2012 2:44:10 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him)
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To: Longbow1969; mylife; AuH2ORepublican; sickoflibs
Santorum really never had much chance anyway

He lead national polls at one point, what do you call that? Just whilsting dixie? It's true he's had some gaffes but if he hadn't lost Michigan and Ohio because of Gingrich vote splitting, who knows. "It was doomed from the start" might make you feel better but it's nonsense. The sadder truth is it wasn't, his own misuces combined with the absurdity of another candidate staying in the race and splitting the vote combined to create our current situation of a more likley than not Romney nomination.

76 posted on 03/31/2012 2:46:09 PM PDT by Impy (Don't call me red.)
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To: PSYCHO-FREEP

Hello there, after Florida Gingrich was behind Santorum for good, ergo Gingrich is the one splitting the vote.


77 posted on 03/31/2012 2:56:05 PM PDT by Impy (Don't call me red.)
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To: Impy

Rick is responsible for Rick.

he has gotten the biggest pass in the world,


78 posted on 03/31/2012 2:57:52 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Impy
Right, Santo lead the national polls for all of about 5 days, as did Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich and Romney. Newt lead for almost 3 weeks and Santo was under 2% for 9 straight months. Gingrich had nothing to do with his pathetic candidacy and poor ability to maintain a campaign.

Santorum can be blamed equally for splitting the vote. Had he dropped out when he was still at 2%, we would be able to argue that Newt Gingrich would be our nominee by now.

79 posted on 03/31/2012 3:00:28 PM PDT by PSYCHO-FREEP (If you come to a fork in the road, take it........)
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To: Jane Austen
"This was disappointing. Sometimes I think Santorum doesn’t want to win."

If he's running for anything it's for VP, not to be the Vichy Republican Nominee. Look at his voting record and you'll see that it fits the Romney record as Governor, not the staunch social conservative he plays on TV. He talks the talk, but his voting record says he doesn't walk the walk. Lawyer Ricky has been in the race to keep delegates away from Newt and possibly to be the VP. He's going along with the Vichy Republicans to siphon votes away from Newt and his reward for going along to get along again will be a much expanded and wealthier client list for Lawyer Ricky whether he gets to be VP or not.

I hope the folks who have been beating the Lawyer Ricky drum like Romney because that's who they've been supporting.

80 posted on 03/31/2012 3:02:07 PM PDT by Rashputin (Only Newt can defeat both the Fascist democrats and the Vichy GOP)
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