Romney, Santorum share Super Tuesday momentum

AP ^ | 3/7/2012 | by LAURIE KELLMAN

[icwhatudo]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney padded his delegate count on the biggest night of the GOP presidential primary season but Rick Santorum demonstrated enough strength to ensure that there's more convulsion ahead as Republicans struggle to settle on a candidate to take on President Barack Obama.

Super Tuesday gave Romney a narrow victory in pivotal Ohio, a home-state win in Massachusetts, and triumphs in Idaho, Vermont, Alaska, and Virginia. But it was no knock-out punch.

Santorum, for his part, won Oklahoma, Tennessee and North Dakota, and Newt Gingrich picked up his home state of Georgia.

"This was a big night tonight," Santorum said. "We have won in the West, the Midwest and the South, and we're ready to win across this country."

[MikeSteelBe]

I had my hopes on Palin before she dropped out, and now I’m for Santorum after hearing his interview on Glenn Beck.

Fox has become an establishment mouthpiece for Romney, just like every other outlet is for Obama.

All I watch anymore is GBTV and their news segment.

I was surprised Palin voted for Newt, because Santorum seems like much more of a “family values” candidate.

[icwhatudo]

Next up is Kansas where I believe Santorum was the first candidate to open a campaign office. Then on to Alabama and Mississippi. These 3 are very conservative states and romney could well face 3 straight losses.

[throwback]

I thought both Michigan and Ohio were very similar. Santorum always sweeps the rural areas, and then has more trouble when moving in toward the cities and burbs. I think the reason he failed in MI and OH but won Colorado was because in Colorado he stayed close in the burbs in addition to pulling the rural areas. He doesn’t have to win the population centers to beat Romney, but he has to stay close. The media (including FOX especially) had done a good job painting Santorum as a backward neanderthal after Colorado and that’s been the margin. I didn’t think Santorum could recover from the hit job done on him (like Gingrich), but he held on better than I expected. The narrative Romney and the Republican machine tried to affix to Santorum isn’t sticking. Santorum does need to do a better job of avoiding his religious zealot stereotype, because Romney is even more prone to walk into his out of touch rich guy stereotype. Santorum has the passion. If he avoids the errors, he’ll beat Romney like a drum.

[Vigilanteman]

All things considered, this may have been the best result we could hope for. It is clear that this is boiling down to a two man race. It is equally clear that Newt can't win a race outside his own backyard . . . and has an uphill climb in it.

Seven reasons for Rick Santorum

1. Who has won the most states without the benefit of their own money, last election's organization or a billionaire casino sugar daddy?
   
2. Who is everybody's second choice when he isn't their first?
   
3. Who can get both the Romney people and the Gingrich people, who hate each other, to vote for him?
   
4. Who has the best record on immigration?
   
5. Who has the best plan for repealing ObamaCare? And is the only GOP candidate who didn't help write or approve legislation which helped spawn this fiasco?
   
6. Who has the best plan for expanding the American economy and strengthening American families?
   
7. Who is the closest thing we have to the "generic Republican" which polls show consistently beating Obama and is most likely to make the election about Obama's sorry record rather than about himself?

[throwback]

I thought Santorum would have trouble in the deep south, but I was surprised to hear he was actually polling well there. Gingrich might get more traction down there now, but the fact he didn't rise in TN and OK like I thought he would seems to indicate Gingrich's comeback may not be as dramatic as anticipated. I would expect Santorum to do quite well in KS since the demographic is very much like OK.

[blueunicorn6]

When our local Democrat newspaper and the MSN homepage all start shilling for Romney, then you know the fix is in.

[throwback]

I'm listening to Trump slam Santorum on Laura Ingraham’s show. Another point in Santorum’s favor, and a clear indicator that Romney's real problem is Santorum.

[Vigilanteman]

See my map graphic in post #24. Consider that Newt managed to win one single county next door in Tennessee. Consider that Ron Paul managed to win more counties in Idaho. Then come back and tell us why the blue guy should drop out in favor of the red guy in order to stop the green guy.

[Miss Didi]

I watched the Friends all morning and it was concluded and confirmed by Sabato’s Crystal Ball that Mitt will indeed be the nominee but it will take time. Brian ended by saying that Mitt will hold a press conference today stating how it is impossible for the others to get enough delegates for the nomination, thus depressing the voters before Kansas. Anyone else hear about this?

[Vigilanteman]

Schedule for next week:

March 10

1. Guam Caucuses : 9 delegates
   
2. Kansas Caucuses : 40 delegates
   
3. Northern Marianas Islands Caucuses : 9 delegates
   
4. Virgin Islands Caucuses : 9 delegates

   March 13
   

5. Alabama Primary : 50 delegates
   
6. American Samoa Caucuses : 9 delegates
   
7. Hawaii Caucuses : 20 delegates
   
8. Mississippi Primary : 40 delegates

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Don't quit your day job and leave the election analysis to the experts. But it is rather entertaining, reading your reasons to vote for Santorum, as well as your grandiose projections and pontifications.

Now back to reality as it really stands;.........http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/republican_delegate_count.html

[throwback]

Thanks for posting that. Santorum should have a good shot at KS which could give him a boost into the second set.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Looking at the new Delegate count, it is very close to unwinable for Santorum or Newt.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Romney already has over a third of the required delegates, and the projected states yet to vote, favor Romney.

Santorum also has serious organizational problems, with qualifying for delegates in several of the states yet to vote (Like he had in Ohio)

But, since you have been running totally blind without your brain engaged, as so many here have, keep on claiming Santorum has a chance.

It can't hurt, but do us all a favor and stop claiming that Newt staying in the race, is why Santorum is having so much trouble winning. Newt is the least of your problems.

[throwback]

Call me a dumb _ss, whatever, I don't even care at this point that it's unwinnable. The fact that Romney will not recant Romneycare tells me the Republican establishment could care less about socialized medicine. It's just another issue they use to get votes. So I just want to see Romney get the snot beat out of him in the primaries and have someone show up at the convention with a bunch of delegates with a different point of view.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Nobody is calling you a dumb a$$. It looks like Romney will win. We have to hold him to the fire to not swing back to the Left to win the General, or if he wins the White House.

Of course we all know better, because we know Romney too well. He is a Leopard........plain and simple.

So, we make plans to start a new party. That is, if this Herd of Cats, is even capable of organizing for a task as difficult as forming a party that can win over America.

But we will have to wait until after the election is over, because a 3rd party formed so late, has no possible chance of winning. At least with Romney, we will gain more seats in the house and Senate and Romney will do some things that will help, if ever so minute.

[Kazan]

A lot of us here hoped for Gingrich, including me. But that hope is over. Our best bet now is Santorum.

Unfortunately, many refuse to face that reality or have openly said here they'd prefer Romney over Santorum.

Every time there has been a viable alternative to Romney, it has been various factions of conservatives that have ended up aiding Romney in destroying that alternative. That more than Romney's money is the reason Romney has commanding lead.

The liberal wing of the party is going to continue to control it unless the divisions among the base end.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Have you seen anything on the degree to which early voting boosted Santorum in the final tally?

[throwback]

Find the post where I said Newt should get out. It’s insulting to tell people their candidate should get out. I try never to make remarks like that or accuse people of being “blind without their brain engaged” no matter the provocation. It is tough, though.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

The problem we have, has been Santorum from the very start.