Posted on 03/14/2012 1:08:13 PM PDT by BAW
Is it time to take the Republican convention seriously as a potential battleground?
Republicans should know better by now. Their still-putative nominee, Mitt Romney, lacks the conservative support to capture the kind of expectations-exceeding primary win necessary to capsize underfunded but motivated rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich.
Romney didn’t do it in South Carolina, Colorado, or Tennessee. He proved unable once again on Tuesday to claim victory in a state, Mississippi, that seemed tantalizingly within reach.
The months-long trend makes it clear that Romney will have to win the GOP nomination with math, not acclamation, steadily accumulating enough delegates in friendly contests until he reaches the nomination-clinching number of 1,144. But that path is fraught with risk. There is always the chance that he’ll fall just short of the magic number, which raises the possibility of a contested August convention in Tampa.
Many mocked the notion a month ago, but it now seems increasingly likely. “After last night, you have to start think it’s possible,'” said political consultant Curt Anderson, a former political director of the Republican National Committee who advised Rick Perry before he quit the race. “It seems more possible than before, that’s for sure.”
The Santorum and Gingrich campaigns are each eagerly embracing that very scenario. In a memo released this week, the Santorum team argued that some delegates ostensibly pledged to Romney would switch to the onetime senator if Romney fails to win on the first ballot at the convention. Combined with a difficult schedule remaining for Romney, that dynamic ensures that the front-runner won’t acquire enough delegates, the Santorum campaign contends
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaljournal.com ...
I understood the GOP elite argument earlier on, but now people are actually voting for Romney in the primaries. The money is with him, I get that too, but my frustration is with stupid people more than the GOP elite. No one if forcing them to vote for Mittens, and yet, the sheep keep doing it...
Put your ballot in for whom? Newt?
A lengthy speech at the convention? zzzzzz
Sounds good to me. I will never vote for Romney.
I hope it is a battleground. I have been saying for months now we needed a TEA Party march on GOP headquarters...
I think this will do nicely- we even have a date, folks.
show up, bring a large vehicle, food, and water and a porta-potty, and tie up that place like it never has been
I think all these convention goers are annoyed that they will actually have to do some work instead of the usual party.
I will not trade four more years of the Kenyan for eight years of a better bred, lighter skinned . . . Kenyan.
And what is this love for Marco Rubio for VP?
I dont get it- he seems a nice enough YOUNG KID but not presidential for about 20 more years
He needs to be Churchill, not say he is. Epic statemanship, not lectures.
“If it’s a brokered convention, who’s going to be doing the brokering? Hint: it’s not the grass roots. “1
People seem to miss this point. The establishment will still have the upper hand.
It would, most likely, be a bruising fight which would ultimately increase the chance of re-electing BO.
Agreed; nobody that the GOP could stick in there at the convention would be measurably worse than Mitt. So, nothing to lose.
Probably a “better” RINO than McRomney though.
It will be Jeb Bush unfortunately.
He gave a good victory speech last night, Gaffer, but a good speech does not win elections.
Newt needs to realize that he cannot win the nomination and join forces with Santorum to take Mittens out at the knees.
I wonder how many of these primaries are open primaries. Or people can register right before. Dems can then (and do) register for the primary, vote for the one best suited to lose, and then go back to being a Dem. Of course open primaries totally suck in every way.
“tantalizingly within reach”
The MSM had all but called it for Romney before the votes were counted. lol.
I'd like to be able to type, "Even the GOP leadership isn't quite that stupid", but I'd get laughed at for posting something so dumb and I could very easily be wrong.
but who will run a brokered conventioned? The establishment ‘moderates’??
PBS has a debate scheduled in Oregon on March 19th. So far, it hasn’t been cancelled, though I suspect it will be. The only candidate who profits from debates is Gingrich, and neither Santorum nor Romney have any reason to allow that.
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