Here are the quick ramblings and tatlings of a Newt endorser and the leading NotMittRomney voice: me.
Romney regains his footing and adds a couple of points to what he was in fact polling just a couple of weeks ago. That’s what a more than $12 million deficit against your opponent will do to you. Right now, Romney is 14 points ahead of Newt. It’ll stay about there, maybe 13 points if we’re lucky.
Even more troubling, with 96% of the results in, we’re sitting at 1,626,172 votes. Sounds like a lot, huh? In 2008 we had 1,949,498 votes cast. GOP, we have a Florida problem and it’s something money, a candidate with a solid-jaw line, and polled stances on major issues can’t fix.
Newt could have accomplished two things. First, he could have run Florida, dubbing him the nominee. Second, he could have weighted Romney below the 40s to apply more pressure for Santorum to drop (although, that’s not happening — I’ve talked to Santorum and believe he’ll stay in at least through the end of February).
This is fundamentally good for the GOP though. This process makes our party tougher. It makes issues get talked about in the court of public opinion instead of amongst Party bosses or in Convention committee rooms.
Newt, Santorum, whoever the opposition may be has a moral obligation to stay in the race. If Romney is the nominee, the establishment, his team, dare I say a Romney administration has to know just how much of our base is opposed to his ridiculous record and flip flopped stances.
Continue this fight.
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