Romney with Solid Lead in New Hampshire
A flood of new surveys have come out since the Iowa caucus was completed. The polls were taken for the first two primary states — New Hampshire, whose primary is Tuesday, and South Carolina, whose primary is on January 21. In addition, there are new national numbers for the GOP race. The surveys have a recurring theme: Mitt Romney is the leader, and Rick Santorum,while showing stronger numbers after Iowa, is still well behind in most polls.
In New Hampshire, the surveys show that Mitt Romney, the Iowa winner by just 8 votes, is well ahead of the rest of the contenders, with Ron Paul second and Rick Santorum, who effectively tied Romney in Iowa, far off the pace in third. Santorum has gained some ground since Iowa, but if he finishes 25-30 points behind Romney in New Hampshire, it will be Romney, and not Santorum, who gets a lift going into South Carolina.
Four surveys have been released for the New Hampshire primary over the last 48 hours, and they are remarkable for their consistency. The polling organizations are WMUR/UNH, NBC News/Marist, Rasmussen, and Suffolk/7 News. Mitt Romney’s support in the 4 surveys is: 44, 42, 42, and 39, an average of 42%. Ron Paul is second in each survey: 20, 22, 18, and 17, an average of 19%. Rick Santorum is third with an average of 11%: 8, 13, 13, and 9. Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman are each at around a 9% average, with Huntsman’s numbers a bit more varied.
Huntsman has tried the same approach in New Hampshire that wound up working for Rick Santorum in Iowa — focusing on the one state and meeting lots of people face to face. A 4th place finish for Huntsman in New Hampshire would effectively end his campaign, and anything less than a second place finish means he would at best limp into the next contests. Of course, Rick Santorum only started gaining momentum in Iowa in the last ten days of that race, as his competitors for the votes of evangelical Christians — Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry — both faded and some of Gingrich’s support shifted to Santorum. In New Hampshire, Huntsman is facing campaigns that were invigorated by the positive press following their near tie in the Iowa finish — Romney’s and Santorum’s.
Santorum has shifted to a more populist message in New Hampshire, a state with many fewer evangelical Christians than Iowa, but that message may not resonate very well in what is largely a white-collar state with above average incomes. Santorum also continues to shoot himself in the foot by pushing his anti-gay agenda, doing it again at a New Hampshire college event last week. Santorum still seems to believe sanctioning gay unions is the same thing as allowing polygamy. Santorum’s campaign in New Hampshire seems to be following the trajectory that occurred with Mike Huckabee in 2008. After Huckabee won a clear-cut victory in Iowa, the former Arkansas governor got a modest bounce, but still finished well back in the pack in New Hampshire behind John McCain and Mitt Romney.
Newt Gingrich, in particular, seems to be on a mission to deny Romney the nomination, after being savaged by nearly $3 million in “Super Pac” ads in Iowa from a pro-Romney group, as well as other negative ads from the Ron Paul campaign.
Iowa is the best evidence we now have of how effective a targeted negative ad campaign can be. Gingrich had a double-digit lead in Iowa less than a month ago, and finished 4th, with less than half he support he had had earlier. One of the main spurs for Romney to wrap up the nomination early rather than late is to avoid being in a contentious nomination fight while the Obama campaign tries to “define” Romney for the American public with attacks ads.
Ron Paul is almost certain to stay in the race for a long time, but if none of the other contenders catches fire and starts winning in some states, their contributions and support levels will dry up. The hope for Gingrich or Santorum is that they soon become the clear conservative alternative to Romney. At the moment, each seems to be holding the other back from assuming that mantle, allowing Romney to stay on top.
In South Carolina, a state where Republican voters are more conservative by and large than in New Hampshire, but less so than in Iowa, there are two surveys out — the first in almost three weeks in the Palmetto State. Rasmussen gives Romney a 3-point lead over Santorum with Gingrich 6 points further back, and CNN/Time shows Romney with a much bigger lead — about 2 to 1 over both Santorum and Romney. The CNN/Time survey has a smaller sample size.
If Romney wins decisively in New Hampshire, and then again in South Carolina, even narrowly, he would be the heavy favorite to complete a first month sweep by winning Florida on January 31. The last Florida poll was taken in mid-December and showed Romney with a one-point lead over Gingrich. It is likely that the next Florida survey will have Romney with a bigger lead over either Gingrich or Santorum.
The national polls of GOP voters have also been quite volatile in recent weeks. Gingrich opened up a 15-point lead over Romney in early December, but now has lost about half of his support, though his numbers have stabilized a bit in the last week. Romney leads the national surveys by 8 points, and his support level has begun to creep north of the 25% level that some critics have argued was his ceiling. Santorum has jumped in the national surveys, into second place in Rasmussen, with Gingrich in second in Gallup’s tracking poll.
Romney won just under 25% of the vote in Iowa, but near half of those who voted believed he was the most electable candidate versus Barack Obama in November. With the economy appearing to be turning up a bit, Obama’s chances for re-election look a bit brighter than they did three months ago. This might make some of the president’s angry class warfare rhetoric less necessary, and some of his “to hell with Congress” approach to governing risker. If the economy creates 200,000 jobs a month, the president’s “make or break moment for the middle class” mantra (obviously poll tested) will be less compelling.
On the GOP side, Mitt Romney, who has run a cautious, general election style campaign, is in good shape at the moment. This is not to saythat there might not be one more major shift in the race. A single candidate could emerge to do battle with Romney, most likely Santorum, who might consolidate conservative opposition to Romney. This is possible, I think, but not likely. The surge for Santorum post-Iowa has been decent sized, but still leaves room between him and Romney. The longer Gingrich sticks around, the less chance there is for Santorum to get his one-on-one opportunity.
Gingrich may campaign against Romney, but his presence in the race is helping Romney stay in the lead.
“Gingrich’s presence in the race is helping Romney stay in the lead.”
Ruling Class spin.
This guy is a shill.
To followup. EVERY candidate that stays in the race helps keep Romny in the lead, of course. The other five divide the 75% of Republicans who have consistentely, for five years now, rejected Mitt Romney.
Maybe at some point the republican make believe media will be forced to ask “What is it about Mitt Romney that makes him so unappealing that 75% of republicans will vote for anybody but him?”
Answer: He is a Mormon.
What is the common denominator between (Donald Trump,) Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, and, now, Rick Santorum?
Why are Republicans so dead set against Romney (and Huntsman)?
The only Republicans who haven’t “surged” and had everyone jump on their bandwagons, are, Romney and Huntsman.
What does that tell you?
Republicans are irrational.
They would rather have a Marxist (with 2 Muslim fathers) than a Mormon in the White House.
Just pretend that Romney is a Southern Baptist…
“What is the common denominator between (Donald Trump,) Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, and, now, Rick Santorum?”
Among other things (excluding Trump who is an entirely separate category), not as much money, conservative rather than liberal, more geniune than contrived, not the pet of the republican establishment, more principled, etc., etc., etc.
I don’t doubt that your unsubstantiated straw-man about the Mormon religion works for some voters, but it certainly isn’t why I’ve turned against Romney. I’m about as far from a Southern Baptist as it’s possible to be.
I turned against him because he plays dirty, lies about it, and won’t do the same against Obama. It’s that simple.
And oh yes, Obama will laugh at him. The Ruling Class’s candidate will lose because they play by the rule book devised by the far left, the rule book for fools.
Your damned if you do and your damned if you don’t. Romney has gone after obama in every debate. He has stayed away from going after the other debaters. So why is he soft on obama? What has he said in any of the debates that you don’t agree with?
Glad you asked. I’ll tell you exactly what it is that bugs me about what Romney says about Obama.
He only says one thing “He’s failed.” He says it over and over, and it’s the only thing he says.
But here’s the rub. It isn’t that obama has failed. It’s that HE HAS SUCCEEDED.
Saying he has failed is profoundly stupid, profoundly weak and profoundly disingenuous. It implies that obama is just another well meaning lib guy from the neighborhooed who unfortunealy got in a little over his head, and gosh darn it, he just isn’t up to the task. THAT is precisely what Romney is saying.
And that’s not even close to how I see it. And I’ll arrogantly presume to speak right now for MILLIONS of people. Obama is an earth shattering SUCCESS. He has succeeded in every single detail of his agenda to destroy this country and replace it with a power mad oligarchy that uses marxism as the con to trick the rubes. I want him DEFEATED, not retired, with prejudice. And I want a candidate who will say what we all know to be true…other than, of course, the ruling class elites who will be just as happy collecting their gazillions no matter who wins. Obama is an enemy of this country, not a guy from the neighborhood who got lucky and likes to fly around on AF1 at our expense.
Your apprisal of the situation is not accurate. Romney was fairly thoroughly vetted in 2008 at the hands of McCain. In this new Primary season, the Republicans are looking at the new candidates and vetting the one who looks most interesting/attractive. The only ones who have been polling for Romney so far are those that didn’t like any of the new candidates at the outset.
Now, there are only three candidates who have not been thoroughly vetted (Paul, Huntsman, Santorum). These just happen to be the three *new* candidates that were *least* interesting at the outset or have not scored enough points in the debates. Votes will shift back to Romney when the remaining new candidates are vetted – or drop out. Not all votes, but the ones who supported Romney previously but wanted to *kick tires* with the new candidates will come back.
This guy wants us to believe the country is hungry for Mitt Romney, it’s just that we want to make sure there isn’t an especially yummy morsel out there. So we’ve been holding back, and turning over any rock to see if a truffle is hiding under it.
That’s his explanation for why Romney hasn’t been able to get above 25% after 5 years of non-stop campaigning and the unquestioned admiration and moulah millions of the establishment and the tactic approval of the msm as the Republican candidate.
If this is the best the Romney camp can come up with, we’re in even more trouble than I thought.
If Romney has been “non-stop” campaigning, that would include a LOT of time helping other Republicans, including a prior competitor (McCain), Nikki Haley, and a host of other conservative Republicans that have been supported by his speeches and his PAC (not the PAC that is attacking Newt). It’s nice of you conservatives to receive Romney’s support and then stab him in the back when he is trying to do what’s best for the country. Plus slam Nikki Haley for reciprocating to Romney !
You all seem to conveniently forget that Romney doesn’t need this campaign, he has no goals of establishing a career in politics. He wants to get in, spend enough time to fix things, and then get out. He’s also got a lot more integrity than Obama. If he happens to fail and a better candidate comes along, he would get out of the way. Right now, there ARE no better candidates.
Yeh, you’re right. He has spent a lot of time buying other politicians in the last 5 years. He has probably spent as much time doing that as talking nice about obama and defending why he has changed every position he has ever held.
And it seems to me that the reason he has been doing it isn’t for the good of the country. If that were true, wouldn’t he simply and forthrightly explain why his approach is better and why he is more qualified? But he doesn’t do that, does he? His entire campaign is built around picking off his opponents one by one, not based on policy and experience, but based on personalities and whatever dirt he and his gazillion’s-purchased operatives can find about or distort about his opponents, secure in the knowledge that the opponents won’t be able to buy the tv time necessary to even answer, no matter parry the distortions and lies. It’s an effective strategy, but not the strategy of the person I want as my president. I already have one better at that than Romney is.
75% of republicans seem to agree with me.
If I’m not mistaken, that leaves about 12.5% of the country that approve of his approach. Of course, if they knew what he is doing, the number would be different, wouldn’t it?
You will soon be seeing that more than 25% support him. Besides, 25% in a six candidate field is pretty solid. You could have also concluded that none of the other candidates are able to top the 25% marker.
It’s just a silly comment.
- he’s been campaigning for 5 years
- he has at least 10 times the money as any other candidate
- he hasn’t been attacked by anybody in the media
- he has the overwhelming backing of the republican establishment
- he has bought political supporters in every state
- even the other candidates haven’t attacked him much because they have be trying to climb over the rest of the field first
And he still can’t get more than 25%.
Your conclusion is that he is doing great. It’s just plain dumb.
Look, I don’t dispute the guy is the likely winner, and obviously, as others drop out, his 25% is going to increase.
But anybody who suggests that Romney is anything close to the popular choice of Republicans is smoking something.
Hey, Pro….often I enjoy reading the comments as much as the article itself. And among those commenters whose views that I look for and I usually respect the most are often yours. But on the issue of Romney I can only comment, “my god man, settle down”. Seventy-five percent of us are looking for a solid conservative who appears presidential and can articulate his views in a way that will stir the needed average voter while at the same time not being so loaded with personal baggage that he or she is made to look like a hypocrite and, thus, a ripe target for Obama’s and the MSM’s smear onslaught. At any of the debates did we see anyone who fit that description? Sadly, no. Romney fails the conservative part of the equation but reasonably passes the rest of the test. If I were to go to my local Walmart and set up a booth where I asked “name one Republican that is running for the presidential nomination?” probably 85% would have no idea. But if I were to ask “do you think that America is headed in the wrong direction?” probably 85% would answer “yes”. These are the people who will vote against Obama if given an alternative that looks presidential and makes them comfortable with the notion that he would be a good alternative to the present administration. Now the strategy becomes fairly simple. Romney selects a conservative running mate (he will) and takes the White House. We conservatives elect a conservative congress and bust away from Boehner and McConnell. Congress shoves conservative legislation at Romney and he has no alternative but to go along with it. That’s it. On the other hand, maybe we should sit on the sidelines and fret about Romney’s religion or that he governed as a liberal in Massachusetts, or that Santorum seems to be anti-homosexual, or that Newt cheated on his two wives, while pissin’ away the election to Obama. A realist will accept the fact that Romney isn’t your choice or mine but could easily be the choice of the average and largely uninformed, but essential, voter who at least has a yearning for a change in Washington and is willing to vote against Obama in order to get it. Then it becomes the obligation of people like you and me to force conservative action on the part of Congress. Romney is no fool. He is not going to take on his own party by wielding a veto pen and he sure isn’t going to stuff his administration with a bunch of Socialists and Marxist. If we play our cards with intelligence we could possibly steer this country away from the abyss. Remember, Ronnie is dead.
Thanks for the comment Yooper.
You should know then that I’ve been among Romney’s luke warm supporters for some time.
But something has changed, hasn’t it.
He went from a disciplined guy who sounds pretty conservative and was running a good and clean campaign to a guy so ambitious to get the nomination that he he willing, eager, to personally destroy the people who ought to be his allies. And then he is dishonest and hypocritical about his involvement in it. Strangely, I don’t find that to be at all admirable.
I don’t see how that kind of behaviour helps the party or the country.
If you think it’s over the top, I can’t see why. I’ve never even said he is a bad person, a bad candidate, or one who would make a bad president…just one who is willing to play dirty with his friends but who turns into a puppy dog when faced with his enemy.
And I wonder why that is, and how he can possibly beat someone who is willing to do it ten times as much. Romney has failed. He became what he should be standing up against. If I was one of the other candidates, I would go after him twice as hard. Why should he get a pass. What’s fair is fair. As just one example, if it’s ok to claim that Newt making 35K from a consulting gig with Fannie Mae is something that we should deplore, why isn’t being a person who made hundreds of millions as a corporate raider many times worse? But they want to claim that as evidence of the free market? Well, maybe it is…but being a predator is evidence of a strong sex drive as well, isn’t it, and of course, a strong sex drive is important for the survival of mankind. Mr Romney is an unethical hypocrite who clearly puts his ambition above everything else. Game on.
What I take from all of this is that the Republican establishment appears for all the world to be as deeply distrustful of the average voter/citizen as any Liberal DemocRAT. That is in fact one of the Republicans favorite accusations against the DemocRATs, that they are contemptous and distrustful of the average citizen, and it is a true one. And yet here we have the Republican party machinery – Not to mention their mouthpieces in the media – Going all-out to rig the nomination process so the candidate preferred by the party machine – The supposed “electable” candidate – wins no matter what the voters might want by virtue of what a candidate might actually have to say. Sad.
As to what the people themselves might want, you can get a pretty good inference of what that is by looking carefully at the rise of Gingrich during the debate process. He rose in the polls by virtue of WHAT HE ACTUALLY SAID and not just some carefully packaged, poll tested blather designed to appeal to a Lib-inculcated population as well as conservatives. Effectively speaking out both sides of ones mouth takes more than effort, it takes committee planning and lots of poll testing. Thats a job for the Republican machine. A political party that wasn’t fearful of LISTENING to the voters would allowing THEM to decide who they want without all of the chicanery, machinations and push-polling by the RINOmedia.
I like Mitt as a person, In fact I pretty much like all of the Republican condidates running. I do not, however, trust him to have my best interests at heart or to do what he says he will once elected. I expect wimpy, half-hearted attempts at implementing conservative policies but he will, at the end of the day, sign off on the newest Liberal component that takes away more of our freedom and more of my money.
It is forbidden to vote for Romney the Mormon.
Anyone who votes for Romney the Mormon is committing a sin against God.
Whoever votes for Romney the Mormon is going straight to hell.
Whoever votes for Romney the Mormon will have to answer to God for it.
We will expose the Mormon cult for what it is.
Mormons are not Christians.
If, God forbid, Romney the Mormon is elected President of the United States of America, God will judge America, and give us what we deserve — hell on earth, the destruction of the United States of America, and the end of our way of life.
Are you for real? Did you forget the sarc tag? It’s Ok to vote for a socialist/prog/communist who hates religion and has done more to hurt the cause of Christianity than any other pres we’ve ever had, but not a man who loves Christ, his family and his country? Boy does that tell you what we have spawned in our churches?
I think Tea Party Salafi is the tip off.
As if the Tea Party is comprised of nothing but fundies. Plenty of anti-Mormon bigots out there who don’t belong to the TP as well.
I am not getting as much of a feel of anti-Mormon sentiment for Romney this time around. I think the resolve to rid the WH of Obama has become a priority. Reassuring too noting how Romney doesn’t wear his religion on his sleeve. That’s huge.
Not anti-morman. Just anti- Progressive. And that is what romney is .. a progressive, just like obama.
No thank you, I will vote for someone else if romney is the candidate. Be that third party or just voting down ticket for real conservatives.
I’ll take my marbles and go home and eat dirt! See how grown up I am, I want our country to be destroyed because I won’t vote for Romneu
Yep…..LOL. That’s the spirit (their spirit, that is, not ours).
It is going to be Romney vs. Obama in 2012. (There may be a 3rd party candidate — Trump, Paul…) You can set it in stone. You can take it to the bank.
The Republicans are going to have to reconcile themselves to the candidacy of Mitt Romney. That is, unless they want Obama to have another 4 years.
The Evangelical and Fundamentalist Christians are going to have to get over their anti-Mormon bigotry. Their bigotry and irrationality is sickening. “Mormons aren’t Christians.” Don’t give me that crap! It is a sect of Christianity. The Christophobes have taught you that you should hate other sects of Christianity. That’s a Divide and Conquer tactic of the Christophobes. You’re playing right into their hands. It’s like the Sunnis and Shiites fighting with each other… Romney was a missionary for his religion — a sect of Christianity. What have you done for Christianity?
THERE WILL BE A THIRD PARTY – the Americans Elect group has registered in every state and is planning to run a third person against the GOP candidate to split the vote for Obama. Just another one of the many down dirty slick Chicago/Marxist tricks the Obama backers have up their sleeve. Any #$%@*! thing to steal the election (and the Country and its core principles) from the American People.
Some of their tactics:
- Prevent voter Photo IDs and National Voter Registry
- Hurried amnesty (and voting registration) for illegal aliens.
- OWS/Arab Spring/Union type civil unrest (aka mob violence – think LA riots) Jimmy Hoffa Jr. promised violence in Obama’s presence at a fundraiser this Fall.
- Voter Intimidation, Coercion by Unions, other groups
- Media manipulation through programming, words, attitudes of journalists, comedians, etc. (shaping opinion of electorate)
- Polls – polls and primaries control money and advertising budgets of candidates
- Aggressive voter registration in Democratic areas (legal, but still a win strategy) especially when combined with the next tactic
- Paid votes, community team organizers, busses
- Absentee ballots
- Prisoners – votes for felons, incarcerated
- Multiple residency, multiple registered voters
- Vote count fraud – an array of possibilities from hacking to trunk fulls of fraudulent votes, double or multiple state residency voters…
*Write your congressmen/women.
*Demand a Voter Photo ID and National Voter Registry.
*Ask them to require states to purge their rolls of dead people and non-residents.
DO NOT let this election be stolen by those that hate freedom and truth.
PRAY HARD. PRAY FOR YOUR COUNTRY. This is the greatest country and governmental system that ever was…Despite our sins and shortcomings, and the evils of some greedy and corrupt leaders. We have been blessed to live here.
We have our wonderful Constitution and just laws because people prayed and feared GOD. Our laws are based on the Ten Commandments and the concepts of moral law of the Bible which are the determinant of good and evil. That is why they work and produce good.
However, through the years, our laws have been changed and now enable us to break all of God’s law. However, recently some would force us to break them violating faith and conscience. This cannot produce a good outcome for people or society… just harm and chaos.
A nation becomes like its laws. We must guard against the perversion and compromise of our law by international entities such as the UN and cultural systems such as Sharia. We must guard against loss of our liberty by dictator or self-appointed authority. We must guard against mobs, riots, populist movements and revolutionaries. We must guard this nation and this precious gift of truth and liberty with our hearts and lives.
In America, The Law is our King – Thomas Paine.
The Republican race is revealing enormous stresses within the party. It is clear that those with deep pockets, who can fund negative campaigns, while the spokesman smiles, denying any responsibility, can destroy another candidate. That creates bitter hatred. There are deep fissures cracking the party apart. The other amazing phenomena is the huge population of undecideds, going into the last day. This election is shaping up like the Bob Dole – Clinton contest, when Dole won by a whisker, dead broke, and thoroughly smeared by his “allies”. He was dead leaving the convention, never recovered.
The Republicans, once again, are assuring a Democratic victory in November.
All Presidential elections depend on one axiom: who do you trust? Perhaps for the first time in American history, the majority of Americans do not trust either party. Do you trust big government, or do you trust the fat cats?
I see endless grid lock in Washington D.C. and melted grids everywhere else.
Obama is the big winner.
He will win a 2nd term easily.
Romney is no match for him. Neither is Santorum. Ron Paul would lose to Obama by 80-20 or 70-30. The Republicans have no one. That is by design. The game is rigged. TPTB want Obama to get a 2nd term.
You are peons. You have no power.
“TPTB want Obama to get a 2nd term.”
I suppose you figure that the principles of affirmative action demand this to their minds. I can think of no other reason they would want this.
LOL, nobody cares if he’s a Mormon, you’re just deluding yourselves. Mitt is disliked because he’s a kinda-progressive, flip-flopper with no strong pro-freedom values
Newt Gingrich clearly won last night’s [so-called] debate. Newt’s smack down of George Step[in it]opoulos and the MSM anti-christian bias was the best part of last nights DNC themed talking points Q&A, not a debate. I don’t think Romney isn’t liked for his mormon beliefs, or that his father was a Mexican citizen, which could turn into another ‘birther’ endless storyline, it is because of Romneycare, and his soft stand on 2nd ammendment protections or rights, and his Bain Capitol buying and selling of companies,putting people out of work. I would like a REAL debate format, with the likes of NEW MEDIA pundits, such as Jim Hoft or Andrew Breibart, Ed Driscoll, Matt Drudge et al. OLD MEDIA hags like Dianne Sawyer and Maureen Dowd are going down with their respective media outlets.
I totally like the idea of New Media debates. Which is what Facebook might have had a chance at if the Facebook founders weren’t automatically liberal.
I’m with Newt until he wins or has to quit.
I won’t say I “don’t like” Mitt, I just prefer Newt for the time being.
Mitt would make an excellent prom king: great looking, always upbeat, offensive to the fewest possible people.
Newt reminds me of Churchill: fat, ugly, angry, smart and un-rehearsed. Exactly what I think we need in a president, though others will certainly disagree (Heh, what are Newt’s numbers amongst, say, single women?).
Me too, with Newt now. I was a Cainiac, had been sending monthly contributions. Well now I send that money to Newt.
Newt is my all-round favorite as a speaker, thinker, encourager (and I think we will need courage before this is over).
Perry or another strong, successful governor ( Jindall, Huckabee, Romney…) to balance the ticket.
Santorum as Attorney General or Secretary of Defense?
Bolton as Secretary of State?
Newt is my all-round favorite for president…he is a thinker, and sees the big picture and can articulate it well because he is a teacher and communicator. He and defend our founding principles because he understands them. He is an encourager (we will need courage before this is over).
Perry or another strong, successful governor ( Jindall, Huckabee, Romney…) should be VP to balance the ticket with executive skills.
Santorum as Attorney General or Sec. of Defense?
Bolton as Secretary of State?
I’m w Gingrich too.
Gingrich’s presence is not “helping Romney” any more than Santorum’s presence.
To be frank, Santorum and Gingrich aren’t polling much apart from each other right now. Either one could advance in the polls at this point. Santorum got the latest surge, but the #2 spot is really still up for grabs. It’s disingenuous and premature to say that Gingrich (rather than Santorum) is the one that needs to step down now. Iowa isn’t exactly a snapshot of America.
well said.
well said
I don’t think the negative ads in Iowa undid Gingrich as much as a trip down memory lane for much of America. I was starting to lean towards Gingrich until my wife said she could not bring herself to vote for a serial adulterer, saying, “I could not abide another Clinton.” Then, the stories started coming out about his leaving the House disgraced, his whopper about being paid millions as “an historian” (did anybody but that?), and his mercurial attitude. Now with him setting himself on fire and charging Romney we’re seeing just how unstable the man is. That’s caused opinion for him to tank–not ads by Mittens and the Ronulan empire.
So your wife has angels wings and is perfect? No flaws, faults or sins? Impossible. We are not electing Jesus Christ. You and your wife don’t know beans about Gingrich as evidenced by your comment.
Learn more about Mitt Romney’s religion: http://vigilantcitizen.com/sinistersites/sinister-sites-temple-square-utah/
You got your reference wrong. It’s http://mormon.org/
What was that about the reason they won’t vote for Romney has nothing to do with him being a Momon?
Maybe what tea party salafi said above is more correct then sarcastic. And I say again “Is this what the churches are teaching?”
The Republican Establishment is trying to stuff Mittens down our throats. Earth to the establishment, we don’t want him. Flipflopping on abortion? Really, he put money in Romneycare to fund it. Now he conveniently ends up with the conservative position. And, Romneycare is the antithesis of Conservatism. In fact, it was the basis for Obamacare. Don’t think for one minute that Obama won’t throw that little tidbit back in Mitten’s face. Now the rumor is that Obama is going to rollout a new mortgage modification scheme. It seems that Mittens’ financial guy designed the plan. And they want to honestly believe that Mittens would work to undo Obamacare? I know Americans are gullible, but
to think that Mittens is anything close to conservative is laughable. Well no maybe pathetic.
Who are these establishment guys? I don’t see that at all. I see a candidate that is trying to jam himself down our throats and how is that different from an of the candidates?
Romney is about as sincere as a con artist is expected to be. He doesn’t have a grip on the reality of the Muslim Sharia threat. He is not going to change anything that Nobama did wrong.
My nephew is married to Romney’s niece, I have met him in person and know from discussions with his relatives that he is *nothing* like the Liberal Media and its parrots are saying. When Mitt makes a statement in his own defense, you can take it to the bank that his statement is more true than the accuser’s.
Aunt Zuni is that you?
The diarrhea that flows from romneys mouth is the same as what flows from obama. They say whatever they need to in order to get votes.
ronmey was an “Independant” during the Reagan years… ‘Member that one?
What in the heck makes you think (hubcap) that he knows nothing about the reality of the muslim sharia threat? When was it brought up in the debates? When did you hear that he thinks they are peace loving people? It seems to me he has gone after Iran, is that not in the middle east any more? News to me.
No one is going to convince anyone on this website that Romney, if he comes through the primaries, is the best man to take on obama. He is and it’s a shame that a man of his integrity is so dragged thru the dirt.
I really fear for this country if obama has 2 or 3 more appointments to the supreme court. That will do more damage to this country long term than what this pres is doing now.
These debates have not gone into what really is going on in this country. How about asking about his recent appointments, how about solyndra, and of course the biggey because of people being killed, and (pjmedia has gone after over and over again) – fast and furious.
We would be incredibly lucky to have Romney as our nominee. No one else up there has a snowball’s chance in hades.
Democrats are evil. Republicans are morons, unable to learn their lessons.
Bye bye America, it’s been great – thanks for everything.
We the People do NOT want Romney as President! He already has established obamacare/romneycare in his state and we DO NOT want him or obama as president!
romneycare is a state’s answer to their problem. It could only happen in a dem state. He has said over and over and over again that he would give waivers to all 50 (or 57 as obama says – but I think that’s the muslim states) states until it is repealed.
And this mantra that huntsman puts the country first is a joke. Little jon has always put himself first!
Stop making excuses for the mandating the purchase of insurance from a private company, to live in a state. It is a disgrace at the state level. I have to say Newt had an even worse excuse for supporting mandate. Newt stated that he only supported mandate due to the left supporting Hillary Care.
Sadly this race is already over, Johnson talks Paul into accepting the VP slot on Libertarian Ticket. Even worse, Johnson runs solo and sucks 3-13% of the GOP and completely tilts the table to the big O. No matter what happens, we likely won’t have a prayer unless we get someone better than Romney.
So, you’re saying they should not be able to make you get auto insurance?
I will never vote for Romney, his major political accomplishments are identical to Obama’s, Obamneycare, increase taxes, and regulations. How is he supposed to run against Obama, when he is Obama with white skin?
We should be patient and leave Obama in for another 4 years if necessary rather than discredit the right with failure of implementation. We must be successful immediately after taking control, in turning the economy around as the American people have run out of patience and 2014 could be as good for the Left as 2010 was for the Right, if we pick a leader without principles to guide us.
“if they’re kickin’ ya in the rear that means you’re in the lead.” How this writer attributes Romney’s lead to Gingrich remaining in the race can only be drawn from one conclusion-the GOP establishment likes RINO’s.
The conventional wisdom among the emotional wing of the party, “Romney gets 25%, so therefore the “true conservatives” have 75%. Pure nonsense. All of the candidates have varying degrees of conservatism in their pedigree. Romney’s 25% (now 30% plus) is his portion of a crowded electorate. When Gingrich drops out, Romney will get his share of Newt’s former voters, and move up further in the polls.
Republicans are fighting among themselves and battering their image. Will this mean Obama is reelected? Most likely yes. The eventual winner will not have all the Republican and Independent voters support as many will be angry their guy lost and either not vote or write in. Without a coming together by all Republicans and Independents Obama wins.
Gingrich is my 1st choice but if Romney wins, I will gladly vote for him. I would expect to see him select a very conservative VP and move further to the right as his campaign continues.
Romney appears to be a very decent man in my opinion. I also have met him in person and he is quite likeable. If his “flip flopping” disturbs you, stop and think for a minute. How many times have each of us changed our minds or opinions through the course of our lifetimes.
I am not going to the voting booth to elect a religious icon. I am going to the voting booth to vote for the man I think can bring fresh ideas and turn this economy around – Gingrich or Romney will be a huge improvement over what we now have.
Romney has changed positions more than an insomniac with restless leg syndrome.
Obama, Axelrod, and the media will make mincemeat of Romney. It is going to be vicious.