Tuesday night was all Rick (for the non-hockey fans, first, shame on you, and second, a hat trick is scoring 3 goals, after which people throw their hats on the ice. Not easy to score a hat trick)
(Washington Post) Rick Santorum had a breakthrough night Tuesday, winning GOP presidential contests in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado, all of which is expected to breathe life into his struggling campaign and slow Mitt Romney’s march to the Republican presidential nomination.
The Santorum triumphs promise to, at least temporarily, alter the face of the campaign going into the crucial “Super Tuesday†contests, as the caustic tone of the primaries is expected to continue and intensify. Romney and his allies have signaled that they will use their financial advantage to launch stepped-up attacks on Santorum and on former House speaker Newt Gingrich, the other main challenger.
Santorum solidly defeated Romney in Minnesota and Missouri, and he narrowly edged the former Massachusetts governor in Colorado, according to state GOP officials.
The breakdowns
- Colorado: Santorum 40.2%, Mitt 34.9%, Gingrich 12.8%, Paul 11.8%
- Minnesota: S 44.8%, P 27.2%, R 16.9%, G 10.7%
- Missouri: S 55.2, R 25.3%, P 12.2%
In Missouri, Gingrich wasn’t on the ballot, and, interestingly, received no write in votes. Even K. Drummond received 162 write ins. That creates an interesting situation: Without Newt, Santorum apparently jumps high in support, and if Newt can’t even get some write in votes, how deep is his campaign enthusiasm?
Maggie Haberman offers up 7 takeaways from last nights beauty contest, most focusing on Romney. She also notices that Gingrich is pretty much out of money, and has only the South Carolina primary to Santorum’s 4 wins. She mentions that Ron Paul is “in it for the delegates.” Apparently, Ron Paul no longer wants to be president, just mess the whole nomination process up, helping the GOP lose in 2012.
One thing that surely helped Rick was coming out strong against ObamaCare forcing Catholics, and other religious groups, to offer insurance that includes free contraceptives, sterilizations, and morning after pills.
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.
Santorum is the only conservative in the race who has not gone nasty.
No matter how much the libertarians in the party would have us believe……..social issues ARE important. Foreign policy IS important.
Romney and Gingrich are in hate mode while Santorum is discussing other issues along with the economy.
Lets face it. Obama’s foreign policy is a MESS. His social policies have the left angry and the right corn fused.
He has pissed on the consitution many times and the Press continues to shout PRAISE OBAMA.
Ginsberg tells foreigners our constitution basically sucks.
What more do we want to get behind the one candidate who has the experience and the temperment to unite the party.
Because lets face it. Right now the numbers are down for people turning out to vote. That does not bode well for the GOP in November. Newt has so much baggage that we like his message but hate him as a candidate. Ron Paul is just whacko. Romney is a Dem lite…..a moderate that is too moderate.
Santorum is the ONE candidate who has a chance to get the masses fired up. He needs money, volunteers and coverage.
Once that happens the right will get excited again…..and the numbers will rise. Why do you think the left keeps saying were afraid of Romney…….?????
Because they know that a moderate does not fire up the right and drive them to the polls. Heck in 2008 those on the right voted for Obama vs McCain……thats how fired up we get over a MODERATE.
She mentions that Ron Paul is “in it for the delegates.†Apparently, Ron Paul no longer wants to be president, just mess the whole nomination process up, helping the GOP lose in 2012.
I think This year he is in the Ross Perot mode. He has finally received enough attention after years of libertarians throwing temper tantrums that now he is willing for some pay back.
He has enough votes to do it as well. So he wants delegates to get some libertarian planks in the platform.
Its a start…..Its only part of the grander strategy of the libertarians to TAKE OVER THE GOP……just like the progressive movement has taken over the Democratic party in the last 50 years.
I suggest that its growing very close to that time in which a third party emerges OR more and more and more people register and become independents.
There are way too many disenfranchised true classical liberals and more and more conservatives…especially of the foreign policy and social issues mold out there with no party really willing to embrace them.
The democrats are no longer your daddies party and the GOP is fast becoming a libertarian feeding ground.
and despite protestations……the “Tea Party” is exactly that. Libertarians.
The “Tea Party” is a lot like Newt. Great message but just a bit too much baggage to want running the country.
One thing that surely helped Rick was coming out strong against ObamaCare forcing Catholics, and other religious groups, to offer insurance that includes free contraceptives, sterilizations, and morning after pills.
This is why I say……IF WE DO NOT FIGHT BACK………then the LEFT WINS. Because even if we take the libertarian stance that its none of the governments business……
GREAT…..I AGREE….ABSOULTELY.
But…..
The left fights on……the less we resist the MORE OF THIS THEY GET PASSED……turned into law.
SO WE FIGHT……do not stop fighting the left on social issues. Thats just stupid…..
Thats an absolute guarantee that what you see happening WILL HAPPEN…..it will just be easier because the libertarians are too busy saying………we dont care.
We have to fight. We have to push back. If we dont. This…..what you posted…..is what happens when we dont fight back.
All excellent points, Word. One thing Rick has to do is highlight that he is (mostly) a fiscal conservative along with being a social conservative. He shouldn’t go negative, and, like Romney, he should campaign as much as possible against Obama.
I agree. The election is about the economy. Its not about social issues. But IF the right understands that they have a candidate who is a social conservative along with a fiscal conservative then we win.
I remember back during the democratic primaries Rush Limbaugh was saying Obama will never be the nominee…..all this excitement will burn out….they cant sustain this.
When I heard him say that I shouted at the radio…….”Oh My GAWD….your so wrong Rush.”
The day Obama was elected the right went into the same kind of fired up state that the Obama bots had for over a year. They sustained this until defeating the Democrats in the 2010’s and since that time its been cruise control.
The right needs something to fire them up and Romney and Newt or Paul is not the thing. Santorum just might get it done because of his broad appeal to both fiscal and social conservatives along with a non negative campaign that will target independents.
IMO he is the ONLY candidate still standing who has a chance to fire up the base and win back the senate…..because as Jim DeMint said last night…..it doesnt matter who we elect president if HARRY REID IS STILL IN CHARGE OF THE SENATE.
The real prize is the senate and keeping the house…….Give me the house and senate and I would gladly let the country keep Obama in the White House 4 more years.
But without a fired up right I fear for the House and the Senate…let alone beating obama.