Moving Past Florida

Adjoran

In Missouri, Gingrich missed the ballot, so he will be the Not Romney in that state. Santorum knows Gingrich will self-destruct at some point, the only questions are when and how much he will be able to dent Romney first.

If Newt blows out soon – and we have already seen national poll leads for Trump, Perry, and Cain disappear as fast as they appeared – Santorum might be able to show enough strength to be the Not Romney left standing.

If he regroups and hangs on and recovers, it will be tough for Santorum as the scenario of a new candidate will become real. The people who’ve known Gingrich the last 35 years understand the disaster he would be in the general. There are good reasons conservatives tossed him from the Speaker’s chair, and it wasn’t for ethics or because he was doing a good job, either.

Out of the 350 or so Republicans who served with Gingrich at one time or another in Congress over his 20 years, how many are endorsing him now?

michaelbowler

Since the Romney camp is signalling he will NOT repeal Obamacare, no matter what he says on the campaign trail, he MUST be stopped.

Avote for Mitt is now, more than ever, a vote for Obama.
No matter which becomes president, we will be saddled with socialized medicine.

mikelindell2

Gingrich is beating Romney nationally, that’s why he should stay in. I think if there’s enough of a groundswell for Rick to get out he might. EE, you gotta step up to the plate, call for his withdrawal a la Perry.

mikelindell2

Disaster. Trust me, no one wants the feeling of disgust from hearing Mitt in the general go back on everything he promised in the primary.

formotioncreative

I’m not an expert, but from a layperson’s perspective, the years after Gingrich left was when Congress began to lose credibility, leading to a Democratic Congress, Pelosi/Reed, Obamacare, spending beyond imagination and the lowest approval Congress has ever seen. What’s so great about the people who threw Gingrich out?
BTW, I’d like to know, because I can’t recall, but there was a Senator or Representative who contacted Bill O’Reilly in about 2003 about the looming mortgage crisis and O’Reilly, who later apologized, in the midst of the crisis, chose to ignore the Congressmen’s warning thinking that they were just making a big deal over nothing so O’Reilly chose not to report it. O’Reilly never talks about that anymore. Does anyone know who that Congressman was? We do need to give credit to the ones who attempted to alert the media.

http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

The essence of EE?s presentation is that Santorum may not do what Perry did [for whatever egotistical reasons, as Guzzardi has documented @ The Liberty Blog] and, thus, yield a Romney nomination.

The essence of the prior blogs has been, justifiable or not, the current Mitt/Newt polarity is predicated on a Establishment/TPM dynamic [although why the TPM has been so quiet until now remains unclear].

Meanwhile, the agonizing of RS-bloggers is palpable/deep/worsening, even as lamentations regarding the potential prematurity of Perry?s departure linger among the Constitutional Conservatives.

So we read hyperlinks composed by the Ann Coulters of the world, providing cover by selective quotes, satirizing any prior level of trust that had been generated in the judgment of people who are ?aware.?

And we provide slack to those who are driven by the ?electability? criterion, spun into high-gear by those who lambaste the idea of a moon-colony without weighing the specifics of the proposal.

And at least one new Diary [mine] is intended to assess the qualities of the ?conservatives? who are ?distinguishing? themselves in the process, recognizing that Newt isn?t an avatar of consistency.

All the while, Rush attacks the whining [of The Newt] and the lack of conservatism [of Mitt] while scrupulously avoiding issuing an endorsement?and The Donald continues to tantalize.

*

This incomplete recitation of the landscape must now be personalized, although it is inappropriate to type details beyond alluding to what?s in the public domain; the Establishment/TPM dynamic abounds.

As a GOP-Committeeman [x 2 decades] and annoyed @ the National/PA/MontCo/Abington entities through which I must function, my fealty to Perry can be viewed as ?reactive??over my protestations.

Regardless, however, it is clear that Mitt ?crossed the line? this past Thursday, regardless of whether other POTUS races also slung mud?of whether The Newt was shaken?of whether ends justify means.

The Elliot Abrams hit-piece was debunked up-and-down [by Reagan?s wife/son, for starters], and the ?latest? from PMSNBC is that Nancy merely ?read? a speech written by The Newt; pretty lame.

This is why a more explicit level of support emerged from Sarah, and this is why Cain switched support from ?We, the People? to Colbert to The Newt; the Fred Thompsons of the world finally are arising.

Rationalizing-away Mitt?s ongoing support for RomneyCare, an insurmountable challenge for his apologists, yields ?he must do a better job? before pivoting to moral-equivalency and attacking The Newt.

Meanwhile, the MSM/LSM/ELM elide over Mitt?s foibles, such as when Blitzer snagged him by noting he had actually approved a radio-ad he had portrayed as from a super-PAC over which he lacked control.

*

My comments are often structured by creating chiasms-within-chiasms; this follows a 7 x 3 model which focuses on first/last-points that are sandwiched between a #4-point that provides the core-message.

Thus far, note that I have noted an erosion of trust in those who ?should know better? and I have cited the overt-misrepresentations in the Abrams-essay to which Drudge had hyperlinked all-day Thursday.

This dynamic is what undermines the ability of RS-bloggers to adhere to what is being force-fed these days, namely, that Mitt [decidedly preferable to BHO] should be anointed without further delay.

As a medical oncologist, I seek to ID symptoms/signs of unrest?of an undiagnosed ailment, of a diagnosis that must be treated ASAP before it grows?to maximize the survival-statistics.

Here, the absence of any gesture to the TEA [Taxed Enough Already] Party Movement constitutes the proverbial [and particularly apt, regarding the GOP] ?Elephant in the Room??; why has he ignored us?

One can only surmise that he wants to invoke BOTH the ability to reverse the ability of the TPM to claim dominance after ?08 AND the ability to portray himself to Indies/D?s as not beholden to such ?crazies.?

The problem that sticks in the craw, therefore, is whether he will constantly prioritize political machinations over ideological motivations of constitutional conservatives now involved in politics.

goodgovernance

Seems like the only way to me for the GOP to get out of this mess. We need to find someone both the establishment and the base can get behind. Romney’s not that guy and never will be. What’s his rationale for becoming president, really? Has he even shown us a plan to balance the budget or tackle the deficit yet? Why not?

So I”m still supporting Newt for now, because I know he’s our best chance to get to that brokered convention, though the chances of that happening are decreasing, especially if Romney wins Florida. I know the establishment will never get behind Newt, so if he becomes a real threat they’ll toss Romney over the side, and then both sides can sit down and finally heal the party.

Establishment, be warned: you figure the base will roll over and come to love Romney. But this is not like ’96 or ’08. Romney is worse than Dole or McCain.

http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

…and has a big-spender past.

Guzzardi documented it extensively @ The Liberty Blog.

He also has statist views in his “It Takes a Family” book, including a joint-proposal [with Lieberman] that would overtly redistribute wealth; he would have federal-$ match deposits [dollar-for-dollar] by poor people if they save $ in banks.

And the quotable-quotes in that book [plus before/after] would repel most non-R’s [and many R's].

No, he’s viewed as mop-up by the Mitt Campaign.

mikelindell2

Couldn’t find congressman’s name. You’re right about Newt, though. Last time we cut gov’t, balanced the budget, reformed entitlements. He does not get the credit he deserves. He’s the only living person who became a leader in DC who actually enacted conservatism.

mikelindell2

Imagine watching the convention in Tampa as conservatives have to watch Mitt getting nominated.

toenail

I agree with this. The ethics charges look a lot like other charges that surface when someone starts trying to fix congress. Newt was actually talking term limits. Imagine what that did to the incumbent elites. Palin c

toenail

Palin can tell you what happens to people who cross the establishment.

formotioncreative

Good diagnosis. If the shift to which you’re referring is the direction currently endorsed by the Reagan legacy, then this will be a year of joy and celebration. Maybe an oncologist is what we need to discover the cure that’s right in front of our eyes. Thank you for taking the time to write.

http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

When commenting on the overnight input of Leon H. Wolf, I revealed a blogging-approach [routinely used elsewhere] that necessitates co-opting the agenda which is felt to be problematic.

Here, viewed charitably, the political calculus of those who feel they truly must win THIS YEAR has pragmatically dictated that they fall into line behind Mitt.

This begs questions regarding his lack of public-policy achievement [more than Santorum, but dwarfed by The Newt]; one can trot-out the ’02 Olympics only so many times.

Yet, having KO’ed the best on-paper [and in real-life] candidate via ignoring/ridiculing him, past supporters of Rick Perry are hyper-sensitive to a repetition of this tactic.

Then, when people such as Jonathan Tobin skewer Sarah for having truth-told [amplified last night on FNC, although she appeared...for the first time...haggard], we recoil.

Some bloggers have even revealed their negative visceral reactions [nausea] to what they are seeing/hearing from Mitt and his pals.

Thus, the one mistake the TPM can make is to continue remaining mute, keeping powder [and power] “dry”; matters are peaking.

*

This is what I would have uploaded in response to Tobin [if I hadn't cancelled my subscription]:

People reveal their biases when they consciously ignore key-facts.

Here, Tobin elides over the fact that Sarah LED the TEA [Taxed Enough Already] Party Movement that, in turn, led to demonstrable/historic achievements during the off-year elections.

To assert that she has been politically-inactive and publicity-seeking is to manifest the elitism/statism to which Guzzardi alludes.

Thus, such efforts to base a rejection of her ideas on ad-hominem attacks inevitably fall-flat, particularly in light of the documented refutation of the Elliot Abrams hit-piece.

This why Sarah continues to be viewed as courageous, respected for stating/writing what others either think or are afraid to accept.

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/01/29/palin-stalin-alinsky-gingrich-romney/

*

One of the more remarkable trends in politics is to attack a candidate by undermining his presumed-strength; the RR-[mis]citations against The Newt are emblematic.

A brokered-convention cannot reasonably be envisioned for, if nothing else, there is concurrence that [until now] the 19 debates have proven revelatory.

We cannot be distracted by Progressive-gloaters, for they will still need to defend BHO against whomever becomes the POTUS standard-bearer.

But the Mittsters must know that people such as myself [who can go "all in" when sufficiently motivated] will not be prompted to become energized under such circumstances as now exist.

The power-hungry, they just want the nod; they’ll worry about the grass-roots later-on, because the priorities have been upset by the SC-upstart victory by The Newt.

Mitt was told by his superiors to deliver…and he and his campaign rose to the occasion; we are all the lesser for the request and the result.

anjinconsulting

but to answer your apparently rhetorical question at the end: if you have to postulate you’re already lost.

We all know that Mittens is just another Captain Zero. The real question is how do you make that register with the GOP establishment?

I submit that the best ways to get a politician to focus and to resolve to do your bidding is to threaten a) his re-election and to b) threaten his campaign cash. There are other means but these two seem to be the most effective. Punishment (or reward) must be commensurate with behavior.

So it should be that we simply abstain from patronizing, supporting or otherwise engaging with the Mittens machine and it’s enablers. As for the candidates remaining; a simple refusal to debate someone who has a demonstrated pattern or saying one thing and doing another is simply an exercise in futility. Refuse further debates publically, citing a couple of choice examples for consideration and thereafter take every opportunity to slap down the MSM when it tries to support him, including prominent GOP officials. Do so politely and factually, but do it ruthlessly.

I think most conservatives feel abused and want a fighter. Mittens seems to be the straw that broke the camel’s back and at this point they are willing to some degree to look past previous transgressions. That is why Newt does so well when he maintains good fire discipline.

anjinconsulting

and Captain Zero, et al.

If Newt is saying he was wrong on his approach when he supported universal healthcare, and would be willing to state publically that he will have it repealed, would that make him sufficently different that conservatives would vote for him in the primaries?

The GOP leadership fears Newt. They fear a protracted primary season because every day that goes by their lack of discernible differentiation from the Democrats becomes more and more apparent.

creinstein

That’s how I see it.

Newt killed Welfare rolls…

He stood up (unlike Boehner) to a sitting Democrat President

Newt was our hero in a time of need.

celador2

Three state contests and three winners but no clear nominee. Florida will not create a bandwagon of inevitability. The upcoming caucuses favor Romney or some in west do in part due to the large Mormon population. Caucuses also favor organization not just ad time on TV so Paul and Santorum may pick up support. But the south is a new ballgame and Romney may not play well there outside Florida. The south may be bold Newt-land. They like red meat!

Santorum should score not only with social conservatives but with workers and manufacturers who see him as the more serious about restoring manufacturing in upper midwest-Great lakes area that has lost so much indusrialization. Paul has a strong base and whatever one thinks of some policies his fiscal views and plans to cut spending and taxes win support. Paul may be the only one of them with a pair of sissors in his hands.

In other words, the contest is not a Romney sure thing after Florida no matter who wins Florida or by how much. Each state seems to have a unique voting footprint that comes forward despite what other states said. As long as no one thinks there is a bandwagon or that a vote for So and so is not worth it we may find more diverse or divided candidate support continuing.

The night is still young!

dajeeps

There’s talk that conservatives rebelled against him and drove him out. If we consider what happened after he left, the spending got out of control, we got Sarbanes-Oxley, and they all took a blind eye to the housing issues, it doesn’t really seem plausible.

swamphermit

If Romney wins GOP primary, then I’m moving to his right and voting for Obama!

dajeeps

Thank You!! This phrase made me laugh my rear off, laughter that was much needed after the events of the past couple of days.

Mittens probably isn’t what we need, with my perception of the differences between Romney and Gingrich being like the difference between Nixon and Reagan, but we’ll muddle through. Obama has shown us that there are far worse things than “the Mittens Machine.” Just don’t try counting all the money we could be making with all that economic freedom at hand, and it won’t seem like such a gloomy prospect.

soothsayer14

who has taken virtually every position that Romney has that so many talk radio heads now find offensive.

If conservatives held Gingrich to the same standard they held Bill Clinton he would not even be in the race at this point.

It is think kind of “it’s ok when my guy does it” reasoning that makes us hypocrites and saps our credibility. Both sides are guilty of it, right now it is falling on us. Look at the veracity of talk radio during the John Edwards infidelity compared with the reaction to Newt’s serial infidelity. We need to stop it.

soothsayer14

Santorum has already been promised certain favors from Romney to stay in the Race.

Don’t be convinced all of Santorum’s supporters will automatically flock to Gingrich. You would most likely see about a 40-25-15 split between Gingrich, Romney and Paul.

chipsidman

I don’t get the whole establishment thing. If a candidate had the support of the former VP nominee who happens to be the former gov of Alaska, Fred Thompson, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, and other major figures in republican politics. This same candidate was a congressman for 20+ years, served as speaker of the house, lives in Washington DC and has worked in DC since his resignation… How is he not part of the establishment?
Who is the establishment if Newt isn’t?

chipsidman

That would be a great idea. Vote for the candidate that vows to continue obamacare when the other candidate vows to repeal obamacare.

chipsidman

Until Clinton informed him that “he was a lot like” him…(i.e., an arrogant, adulterous pig).

Newt stood up to Clinton because he was angry that he had to ride at the back of Air Force One.

soothsayer14

your typical primary song and dance.

Remember in 2008 the same crowd against Romney now was pushing him as the better choice that McLame.

The rank and file will rally behind Romney. Democrats fall in love, Republicans fall in line.

Romney will help with the independents and women in a way Gingrich cant. Calm down.

dajeeps

The guy they’ve all tried to git rid of, but can’t seem to make him go away. He has too many big ideas for how to make things better that require real work and risk taking on their part, and they’d rather not have to do either.

soothsayer14

That as a percentage of GDP we spend as much today on welfare as we did before welfare reform.

I am not saying welfare reform was a bad thing but I think when put it to practice it has just been subject to alot of gobbledy gook and washington math.

chipsidman

Santorum is part of a vast moderate wing conspiracy to undermine the “true” Reagan conservative. Yes, Newt is the true Reagan conservative who thinks he was part of the Reagan revolution, and received the torch that was passed from Goldwater to Reagan.

Newt is the greatest true conservative who built his house on the firm foundation of Freddie Mac. Newt is the true Reagan conservative who is going to make Moonlandia the 51st state. Newt is the true conservative who hearts Nancy Pelosi.

Newt is the center of the movement that will someday make conservatives the rulers of mankind and beastkind.

horizonscanner

This is a fascinating post, it covers a lot of ground, it compels further inquiries.

O’Reilly didn’t take the congressman’s Paul Revere warning. O’Reilly disregarded Chicago-based t.v. reporters who tried to explain BHO’s Alinsky ties. They started to tell him about Alinsky directly and O’Reilly shut them down. And, if that wasn’t enough, O’Reilly counted 80,000 people tops at the Multi-Million Patriot March on 9/12/09.

mikelindell2

Yeah, Pelosi and Gingrich love each other. That’s why Nancy has such kind words for Gingrich recently. And he proposed the same moon policy that the Chinese have publicly proposed. Freddie Mac, huuge issue. Strong points.

In The Hook

Now THOSE were some major splits in the party. Yes, Ford lost but it was extremely close and he didn’t lose because Reagan supporters in the GOP refused to vote for Ford. If we lose in the fall it’s not going to be because Newt backers won’t vote for Mitt. It will be because the economy improves strongly or Obama executes the Bush 2004 strategy and “Kerrys” Romney.

blark

Careful Eric, when all is said and done all you will have to show for yourself is a whole series of poor predictions about what will happen in this race and a lot of sour grapes. Polls do not support what you suggest –that Santorum leaving the race would help Gingrich, or visaversa. What Polls do suggest is that Romney has as much to benefit from one of them leaving the race as any of them. Because you want so badly for it not to happen, you just cannot bring yourself to see the writing on the wall –that little by little conservatives are coming around to Romney and his campagn. Of course, there will be those, like you, who will never do that, but you are increasingly in the minority, becoming increasingly irrelevent, and being left behind!

soothsayer14

That Newt has claimed the anti-establishment title.

You do not get more establishment than Newt Gingrich.

I think Romney’s line, “If some executive came to me and said they wanted to spend a few hundred billion dollars to build a colony on the moon I’d say you’re fired” was probably the best line of the season.

Even Gingrich supporters had to cringe when he went to the space coast and promised a colony on the moon in 8 years. That is pandering to the extreme, and Romney pointing out Newt’s state by state pandering was a devestating rebuttal of his false small government persona.

soothsayer14

You can’t believe Romney when he says he will repeal Obamacare.

However, you must believe Gingrich when he talks about his reversals on

individual mandates
climate change
cap and trade
the Ryan plan
right wing social engineering
ethics violations
serial infidelity
lobbying
his role in the housing crash

Get with the program man

Wiseman

To say that all of Santorum voters would automatically go to Newt is nonsense! One poll in FL this week showed the Romney’s lead got bigger by one point if Santorum was not in the race. Newt is nothing but a regional candidate only capable of winning in the deep south. Romney will be the nominee and he is conservative enough for me!

soothsayer14

The other view is, Newt is as Establishment as it comes.

When Newt talks about “The Establishment” he is talking about anyone in politics who doesn’t support him. If you don’t support Gingrich, you are the establishment. It is the boogeyman under the bed.

renl57

That “pledge” to build a huge Moon colony reminded a lot of folks what Gingrich’s real problem is: His right brain (creativity) isn’t connected to his left brain (cold-blooded analysis).

Gingrich loves to toss out these half-baked ideas (remember the one about orbiting mirrors in space?). Reminds me of my college bull sessions well lubricated with beer and stronger substances.

We need “idea men” like that in government. But as advisors, not as Chief Executive.

It’s the Chief Executive’s job to say:

“Sorry, that’s nuts”; or
“Sorry, we can’t afford it”; or
“Sorry, that’s low priority right now”.

Romney, for all his faults, is that type of guy. And with America’s $15 trillion debt, we need that more than we need new wild ideas, whether they’re high-speed rail (Obama) or Moon colonies (Gingrich).

Putting America’s fiscal house in order is the most important pledge I want to hear from a candidate.

conservativeparrothead

In the last week, Gingrich has cited Reagan’s bid against Ford in 1976. Ford did win Iowa, New Hamphsire, Florida and 8 of the first 9 contests. However, Reagan rallied from there and one interesting note, in an effort to draw in more moderates and unite the anti-Ford movement, he called on a Senator from Pennyslvania to be his running mate.

Hmmm….Senator from Pennsylvania to be your running mate. Sounds like a plan Newt.

conservativeparrothead

I dont think this is a situation of simply getting out and endorsing, I think it is more of a combination of forces as a team against Mitt Romney.

I think its a good combination ticket: You have a good policy guy with lots of ideas who has fire that taps into the anger in the Tea Party anti-establishment movement, but that movement needs to partner with another coalition, and I think if Santorum were to simply get out, there are Social/Christian Conservatives who may not simply “trust” Newt at this point, but if you said we are going to be running mates and a team and those social conservatives feel they will have a voice in the race/administration.

Then maybe they have a shot.. Its still a long shot, but realistically I think its their only shot.

joeydavis

If Newt Gingrich really cared about the country, his party and his conservative views, he would stand down.

Santorum and Gingrich are pretty much the same candidate. It’s just that one of them has a history of flaming up and flaming out, has a lot friends and creates a lot of enemies. The other has a history of calm consistent leadership.

The party establishment as well as the tea party should be uniting behind Rick Santoum. There’s room for business savvy man like Mitt Romney in a Santorum administartion and there’s room for a man of grand ideas like Newt Gingrich in a Santorum administration.

Last, unlike Romney or Gingrich, Santorum can actually win. At the end of the day this election is going to be decided by blue collar rust belt voters who don’t trust big government or big money in places like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin and large blocks of evangelical conservatives in places like North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri and Iowa.

Think carefully about that list of states. Who is the best choice for those voters in this environment? Is it the Wall St. tychoon? Is is the serial cheating Washington insider? Is is the consistent conservative from the blue collar state with the blue collar background?

Romneyites and Newtonians it’s time unite and Santorum IS the choice.

In The Hook

That is indeed what we need. A shame we ran out a guy in Pawlenty who was both conservative and a level-headed executive. His own fault that he ran a terrible campaign though. A further shame that someone like Daniels or Jindal did not run. But the field is the field and I’m with you in your analysis.

redcal

He’s Nixon, part 2, moving to the center (EPA, China) to win re-election (which will occupy approximately 99.9% of his thoughts if he gets into office). The right didn’t abandon W after Medicare Part D, and Romney will take examples like that as his permission card to ignore conservative principles completely.

mikelindell2

I’ll let the country collapse as long as my candidate has never sinned in his personal life.

mikelindell2

So why should the US concede the point? Because pro-Romney forces mocked it?

soothsayer14

that the country is going to collapse if Romney is president and only Newt Gingrich can save it is absurd.

mikelindell2

You can serve in DC without being establishment. He was there fighting for and achieving real conservative change. He even took on HW Bush when he wanted to raise taxes. That’s why thevestablishment hates him, he was in washington to fix things not get along with everyone and watch country collapse. Bob Dole, John McCain endorsed Romney. Herman Cain and Rick Perry endorsed Newt. That should probably tell you something.

soothsayer14

I am not opposing Gingrich because he cheated on his wife. I am one of the ones who truly thinks a person’s personal life is their business (within reason).

My point was I take this view all of the time, Republican or Democrat.

A lot of the talk radio chatter class will be foaming at the mouth like rabid dogs the next time there is Democrat who gets exposed for this kind of thing, but with Newt it is somehow out of bounds to bring it up.

mikelindell2

Last year Mitt said he’d only repeal parts of obamacare and his advisors are currently saying they won’t repeal it.

bluerose75

It is true that combined the conservatives easily win. But like usual they split and we have moderate. No matter what Santorum says I think he is staying for a Romney promise. Despite his great debates he still stays at about 13 percent. He is more well known so that claim does not hold water. The problem is he has not been vetted the way Newt has and if he was I have strong feeling that 13 percent would drop. We need to remember the only candidate that have been vetted from A to Z is Newt. From ABC, NBC. CBS, CNN, WSJ, NRO and others. All have focused on defeating Newt.

Even the 119 million medicare fraud from Damon for Romney had absolutely no major air play. Now does anyone think if that was Newt that would have not aired hourly? They talk about 1.6 million dollars for Newt over and over.

Yet Newt is still polling fairly well for the brutal attacks he has taken and he is being outspent 5 to 1. I mean would you not think he should be down to the teens by now in numbers? And Santorum should be up? It is not happening and that should tell Santorum something and his supporters. I like Rick alot but he has less money than Newt, he has not polled really about 13-14 percent and yes he won Iowa but remember he came in after another 15 million ad blitz by the tin suit and Newt really had little time to react.

Romney has done the same in Florida and Newt has hung in much better. Remember Newt is being vetted for all to see…so all he can do is go up!! I think he has done a pretty good job taking the beating. That is a strength. Does anyone think when Obama unleashes his 1 billion on Romney he will last?

Erick if Santorum really cares about conservative principles he will do the right thing and join Newt. They would be great together against Romney and could easily stop him. Not only that Rick with your age and character you could easily see yourself on top of the ticket very soon! Unlike GHW Bush you are a conservative and could easily take the Presidency down the road. But I fear that pride will be the fall. It has taken so many men and women down and in the end everyone else suffers.

I cannot believe there is any part of Rick that believes Mitt is conservative. He knows Mitt will be a disaster against Obama just like McCain was. Stop for a minute and see history repeating itself again. In 2008 we were told only McCain could beat Obama. McCain appealled to moderates and independents (just like we are being told by about the tin suit). And he lost big time.

I agree Erick the wounds caused by Mitt will not heal. McCain ran some nasty ads but nothing like Mitt. His unfavorables among conservatives is so high that I agree with Rush, Sean, Mark Levin and others it is getting to the point of no return. Mitt’s lust for power is unbelievable. And if he thinks that should he win the nomination he can heal the wounds it will not happen. He has sealed his fate with the conservatives. Worse than McCain.

And I also remember in 2008 when national polls came out it was McCain that was tied with Obama or slightly ahead. Then Obama and the Dems unleashed on McCain and he was knocked right out. And McCain has nowhere near the flip flopping socialist record that Mitt has. McCain was McCain…

Romney supporters will say Obama cannot stand on his record! Problem is neither can Mitt!!

Fact one: Show me one single ad from Mitt during the primary…I MEAN ONE….that shows him touting his record as GOVERNOR!! He has not one!!

All his ads tell us he spent majority of his life in private sector, he knows how to creat jobs, Newt is horrable, he is conservative and will make America strong.

Obama with 1 billion dollars…will run ad after ad after ad detailing Mitt’s record as Governor!! Obama will have the money Newt does not!! Obama will hit him again and again with being a flip flopper!! He will hit him with his recent conversion to being conservative….He will hit him with his faulty financial records…he will hit him with Romneycare and being just like him!!

Obama will decimate this man and he already knows conservatives do not like Mitt….Strike One!…..His flip flopping…I can see Mitt as a fish in the sea flopping all over the place…the ad will be hilarious…Strike Two!…independents will run from him because Obama will show him for the opportunist and phony he is…It will go right to trust!! Independents will not trust Mitt. Strike Three showing Mitt is more like him than Mitt will admit. Why should liberals leave Obama with another liberal Mitt…Checkmate game over!

I ask Rick and Newt again to please work together only you two offer a better America and true conservatism. You both are so fundamentally different from Mitt it is amazing. Both of you have fought basically your entire careers for conservative issues. Yes you have had some slip ups but that is something to learn from. Mitt has never been conservative, has never fought for conservatism and has no core.

Newt and Rick offer an alternative to Obama and can contrast with him on so many issues. That is how you win. Flip floppers never win in the general especially one that has no charisma and could bore the pope!!

swamphermit

Most of their vows are worth less than a cup of coffee. I’m done with the GOP’s liberal McCains and Romneys as their presidential candidates! I’ll stick with Tea Party candidates for Congress, since GOP elites have less influence over them, but Americans need another 4 year of Obama if Romney is the best that the so-called Right can offer.

tngal

That way we don’t have all this back and forth over what to do with Gitmo one. Done. Handled. Next problem.

soothsayer14

We need to get up there and beat China before they build a moon colony! Make that priority number 1!

horizonscanner

Don’t mock Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong. They know, first hand, the stakes. They gazed weeping when ZeroKing killed space exploration at Cape Canaveral in a doublespeak address. Can’t you see what is happening? When China plants Mao’s banner on Selene, will you mock them waving your tiny fist in the air? Oh, and BTW, who do you believe: Barack Hussein Obama or Linda Moulton Howe? Answer the question. Snickering doesn’t cut it in Space.

mikelindell2

It’s been dredged up for years. If clinton was able to run today it wouldn’t be an issue either. And romney’s proposals will not fix a thing and obamacare will become permanent.

soothsayer14

That the first thing he would do is issue 50 state waivers for Obamacare (which he can do) and then immediately start work repealing all of it.

Now, this could be a lie, but the point is telling people they can’t believe Romney while expecting them to swallow Gingrich’s BS hook line and sinker is a bridge too far.

mikelindell2

The importance of it is different than making it sound like it’s coming out of left field

mikelindell2

When Newt was a leader he governed as a conservative and did what he said he would. Mitt governed as a liberal and is shamelessly insincere

bluerose75

Good post Mike. Newt has Bill McCollum, JC Watts, Bill Livingston and Dan Burton all supporting him as well and they are all from the Contract with America and worked with Newt. All are conservatives. They are also no longer part of the GOP Establishment. That is why they could care less what DC says vs. the current party members who must tow the line or else. Lets be honest those that are supporting Mitt inside the GOP know that if they step out their political ambitions will be squashed like a bug!! That is why they do as they are told and line up for Mitt.

But notice the independent conservatives like Perry, Palin, Cain and others who the Establishment has no hold on, they support Newt! That is all one should need to see. McCain is so inside the Beltway that over at Meet the Press they have a chair with his permanent butt imprint!! And Dole was a joke and was down the middle as well and never conservative.

horizonscanner

and DemKrat jerks who slandered, pilloried, libeled with Leninesque Darkness At Noon perfidy. They pulled him to the ground and punched him repeatedly in the face and when he resisted they went back and got other DemKrat RadLib Robespierre NKVD thugs and slandered him with ridiculous charges that the Lib Media repeated as if fact. That’s what Saul Alinsky taught BHO to do and that’s what they did to Newt.

The GOP did not hit back to defend their leader. Cowards. People like that senator, Coburn, from Oklahoma, the doctor, who don’t understand, like Dr. Paul, the viscious Occupy Now demonic mindset of the enemies of this Republic.

A prophet isn’t honored in his own land. Gingrich was sold down the river by the very people he was seeking to advance, let alone defend. Listen to Rush on this, he knows because he has an excellent memory.

In The Hook

So the Chinese can’t get a colony up there.

Seriously. The Chinese like to build entire cities where nobody lives to bolster their nominal GDP figures. Should we do the same?

We’ve been to the Moon. A number of times. The fact is… the Moon is kind of lame. We have better things to do in terms of space exploration and experimentation than to go back to the Moon. If we figure out new propulsion drives and more cost-effective ways to colonize space, then by all means let’s use the Moon as a jumping off point as it were. Until then, let’s figure out how to fix the problems we have on Earth.

mikelindell2

Santorum lost by 18 points in his last election and won’t even win the primary there. I’d rather the election be about the econony not about condoms and gays.

soothsayer14

doesn’t mean it is a good idea.

If they want to do it I say let em. Watch them, observe, let their trial and error help us if and when we decide it would be beneficial for us to do it.

To promise a several hundred billion dollar project with our budget problems in the middle of a campaign season just to beat the Chinese illustrates a huge lack of judgement and/or ethics.

Judgement if he actually plans to go through with it, and ethics if he was just promising it with no intention to actually do it.

Either way, the issue was a loser for him so stop trying to defend it. When you are in hole put down the shovel.

soothsayer14

Mitt was a Republican governor in one of, if not the most liberal state in the union. The legislature was 85% democrat and he still got some good things done.

By contrast, Newt was a congressman from a district in uber-red Georgia. Newt was never in danger of losing his seat to a Democrat.

To compare the two on an equal plane betrays an incredible lack of basic understanding on your part.

Massachusetts_Transplant

Yes – I agree that its ironic that the guy who came to DC as a Congressman in the 1970s, served into the 90s, and the stayed in DC to influence policy and lawmakers from the late 90s until now (30 + years!!!) is somehow the “anti-establishment” guy. Whereas the guy who has never worked a day in Washington DC, actually spent 30+ years making money in the (real) private sector, saved the Olympic Games in Salt Lake, never spent a day lobbying or inlfuencing Congress and only did 4 years as Governor is the “Establishment”.

As RedState posted on the front page today – CBO says that federal workers are overpaid. Who do you prefer to actually scale down government and look for inefficiency, duplication, and areas that are not core to what is needed – the guy who has been in DC making big bucks off the system for the last 15 years, or the guy who actually practiced slashing inefficient departments and business units for 30 years? The guy who rescued the Salt Lake City games from corruption and debt – while dealing with the post-9/11 security challenges, or the guy who was working for Freddie Mac around that time.

And lastly if the choice is between Sarah Palin and “the Establishment” – count me in the “Establishment”. Palin’s comments the other day about a “Stalin-esque rewriting of history. It was Alinsky tactics at their worst ” are beyond the pale and so over the top, and demonstrate that she has literally become exactly what she was once unfairly mocked for. Had she taken a lesson from 2008, gone home to Alaska, put her head down and worked hard at being a good conservative Governor she might have rebuilt her credibility. Rather she is basically the Kim Kardashian of the right, and a total embarrassment.

trelane

“The odds are long that either can do it. Together, they cannot.”

Which is true. Santorum dropping out only gives us a small chance, not a guarantee of beating Mitt. But that is all we have left.

You’re right though that too many assume all the Rick votes go to Newt. I expect it will be more like 60-40, or at best 2-1. Which only closes the gap by less than 5%..

soothsayer14

Santorum’s defense is “Other Republicans lost by more than me in that year!”

Yeah that makes us feel better Rick.

bluerose75

I am surprised to hear so many conservatives fall the MSM line and Establishment line that if Romney wins Florida it is over. Are you kidding me? He need over 1,100 delegates and he will have like 65? Newt knows this and moving forward there are some great advantages for Newt. I keep telling people Florida has a massive northeast moderate influence from people that moved from New Yok, Mass, New Jersey, Conn, Maryland and others. That is a natural base for a RINO. I am not sure why people at Redstate keep looking at Florida through the Redstate prism. It is not red…it has become moderate due to the transplants and the over 60 crowd follows for the most part what the GOP tells them. That is why Romney is ahead here.

But in other states with a more conservative core that will not be the case. Why do you think the GOP Establishment wants it over after Florida? They know as states move along Mitt will fall in unpopular territories. Then what? The primary goes on of course! That is why Newt knows he can go on. Florida is not that important. Mitt must win Newt has other areas to take away from Mitt. I guarantee you the Establishment will try to act like it is over but here is the silver lining for Newt.

The Establishment will hold no sway with Newt!! That is a blessing. He will not bow out when there are bigger prizes down the road to beat Mitt. Oh no! The Establishment overplayed their hand with Newt. He will stay in and I love it!! Many of you will remember how you followed the line that is it over…which is sad considering how many of you rail against the GOP Establishment.

The key will be Newt and Rick working together. If they can they and we will win…if not we will suffer a crushing defeat in Nov.by Obama. Mitt has no chance.

romansdaughter

Do you do twitter? Well I do now and it seems there is a lot of independents and Republicans and conservatives who don’t see much difference between Mitt and Obama. That is a problem. They are not going to vote for Mitt cause they don’t see much difference. Besides Mitt has gone out of his way to show his absolute disdain for the Tea Party and also for most conservatives. So I think you are dreaming if you think everyone is going to buckle down and vote Mitt. I myself am starting to wonder if I can pull the lever for Mitt. To me, Mittens is showing me everything I despise in a politician.

In The Hook

An extremely strong and consistent social conservative. He’s refused to attack Romney from the left. I think Santorum is a plenty worthy runner-up in this race but in no way is “next in line” after Romney because of that. The guy has no executive experience and is in the model of GWB in terms of fiscal conservatism.

I won’t say an unkind word about Rick Santorum, but he doesn’t have the right experience or skillset to be president/

tngal

would benefit us in numerous ways. NASA has amassed thousands upon thousands of patents. Many of those have applications here on earth. (They also sell them off which upsets people, but that’s a whole different issue) And remember these were inventions which were necessary just to get us off the ground. Then came inventions from orbiting, Then more developed to get us in a position to fly far away. And then even more to make it possible to land and explore.
.
With a goal of colonization working with the PRIVATE sector the inovations and scientific knowledge would grow exponentially. that would clear up some problems here on earth.

lapert

Newt’s records is not that he governed as a conservative when in power but that he governed as a zealot who overplayed his hand, got outmaneuvered by Clinton, completely miscalculated on the electoral implications of impeachment and got run out of his leadership role by the very people he was supposed to be leading.

As Edward Crane put it when looking at the failure of Republican leaders to actually reign in spending: “Following the GOP victory in 1994, Newt Gingrich resembled no one more than Robert Redford in The Candidate. What do we do now? For all of his talent in generating the “revolution,” Newt was never the conservative ideologue the media painted him to be.”

What in all that suggests he would be a good leader at the top of a party’s ticket let alone for the country?

In The Hook

That’s what Palin has been reduced to. And it’s absolutely ridiculous that’s what it has come down to since she and we fought so hard to push back against that meme in 2008 and beyond.

She easily gets a pass for being ill-prepared in 2008. How could she expect that McCain would pick her on basically a whim? Her decisions after that basically lined up with everything the left and the MSM said about her being a lightweight and unserious. Resigns from the governor’s seat. Is the focus of a reality TV show. Follows in Obama’s steps of writing two books with little to say. Has her daughter on a reality show. Engages in a back and forth with her daughter’s baby daddy in tabloids. Runs a ridiculous teaser campaign and does whatever it takes to both avoid making a decision to run but still stay in the media spotlight. Then condemns the media for following her.

Ugh.

bluerose75

With all due respect Joey, Rick is a good man but he is not ready to be on top of the ticket. He lost badly in his last run for Senator from Penn and that is not a good point to base your argument. Newt can touch in Ohio, especially Southern Ohio, Indiana would be good for Newt, as will NC, Virginia and Michigan. In Florida Joey, Newt is winning the Evangelical vote already not Rick. So I think Newt would do very well in North Carolina and Virginia. But he would do great in Tenn, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Those places Newt would outpace Rick pretty easily!

Rick does not poll anywhere abover 13-14 percent. That is something you need to look at. I like Rick, but he would be better in the VP role not the Presidential Role. You will claim he does not have the baggage. Problem is NO MONEY has been spent to vet him yet at all!! Do you really think he will not have major issues come out from Obama or Mitt? Newt still polls pretty high despite all these attacks FROM EVERY SIDE!!

Rick polls low and he has not been attacked from any side. I think you need to realize that Rick has been left alone because no one thinks he has the money or ability to win. If any of that money is turned against him and people start digging and attacking him I doubt his 13-14 percent would stand.

In The Hook

People on Twitter say a lot of stuff. The polls say something different and Romney is clearing winning Tea Party people over… slowly… but winning them over.

Romney is lightyears better than Obama and you well know that. You get a pass for saying something out of frustration here.

And finally, Romney is not showing disdain for the Tea Party. He’s meticulously avoiding trying to pander to them because guess what, people already know he panders! He only worsens his image as a panderer and flip-flopper if he tries to cast himself as a Tea Partier. We know he isn’t. He knows he isn’t. The rest of the world knows he isn’t. If he tried to make himself into a Tea Party member it would be the biggest fakery of his entire political life. So he’s studiously avoiding trying to make his image as a pandering politician even worse. I think that’s a pretty good play actually.

mikelindell2

To get elected in MA you have to be liberal. Or you have to be willing to say anything to get elected. Which one’s better? I think the lack of underdtanding is yours.

Juggernaut

of Newt as is Ron Paul. Santorum never had a chance based on money plus popularity and the fact he doesn’t energize the base let alone offer anything newsworthy other than soundbytes. His economic plan isn’t much better than Romney’s and Romney’s was scored poorly and as Newt mention…….it will manage the decay. Romney is a tabula rasa at best

bluerose75

That is funny Mitt ran in a liberal state and he still got things done…That is laughable….I sure love the Romneycare…I sure love his left leaning judges…I sure love all his fees he jacked up on Mass residents, I loved him ( I am sure he was forced..lol) to support Paul Tsongas (one of the most liberal Senators ever) for President over a Republican. I can look at his conserative ratings when he governed and they are off the charts….LOL!!..NOT!

He is from the northeast, he is a liberal at his core and the Mitt supporters can never show anywhere where he did anything to support conservatism or Reagan. Only when he wanted to run as President in 2008 and moving forward did he have his Epiphany to conservatism!

And no matter what his supporters say if Mitt is so proud of his record of Governor he would run on it!!! Not spend millions and millions trying to tell he is conservative. After all it would be in his record!! We conservatives could all put him up on the crosse because he had to be Governor in that mean and nasty Democrat state of Mass!!

BS…he ran in Mass as a liberal because he wanted power…just like he wants power now he has to run as a conservative. He is two bit fraud. I could care less that 85 percent of this or that was Democrat in Mass. If he was conservative then how did he get elected?? He was elected because the people in Mass knew he was another liberal.

And at least Newt accomplished national conservative wins and programs your tin suit’s biggest accomplishment is Romneycare…the origin of Obamacare. That will hang around this liberal’s neck forever and there is not one thing his supporters can ever do to change that.

rarnst

Alfred Mossman “Alf” Landon (September 9, 1887 ? October 12, 1987) was an American Republican politician, who served as the 26th Governor of Kansas from 1933?1937. He was best known for being the Republican Party’s (GOP) nominee for President of the United States, defeated in a landslide by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1936 presidential election.

romansdaughter

You will see. Yes, I am frustrated cause there isn’t a candidate left that I truly can get behind. I see you have down in your signature Support candidates that can win. Well so in your opinion Mittens can win. In my opinion Mittens will lose as he isn’t too much different from Obama. I am an independent and I am totally turned off by Mitt and his lying, smear campaign. And I feel paying out endorsements is corrupt.

Juggernaut

in the next republican administration.

Don’t fear the establishment

Those of you who think the establishment wants Romney should do the math. Only a minority of elected congressmen have endorsed Romney and only 2 known leaders are among them???John Thune and Connie Mack, the rest are rookies or have little influence. So what media fools say establishment this and that, so friggin what! Anyone think John McCain has a lot of weight after losing 2008?

Establishment is a control mechanism designed to evoke fear and or power and it means nothing when you do the math! There are a lot of party chairs and known quantities who are sitting on the sidelines because they don’t want Mitt or the others for that matter. Kind of laughable to see people on TV touting the establishment as if those people have spoken publicly. Behind the scenes only matters when you can tie a name to an opinion.

sethellis

First of all, if you look at the RCP average in Florida right now Newt and Santorum combined are exactly the same as Romney at 41.8. The RCP number is probably a little high, but it’s not going to matter if they only lead him by single digits. A little momentum could easily put him into a majority, especially in the upcoming states that favor him.

Furthermore I just don’t think that all of Santorum’s vote will go to Gingrich. Right now the Santorum vote is a combination of the people that have decided to reject both Romney AND Gingrich. Super Tuesday is a long ways away. A lot can happen between now and then, and Romney has a clear upper hand. Romney stands a good chance of winning even if Santorum does drop out. I’d put his chances at 60%.

Frankly, I think Santorum has a better chance at defeating Romney on his own than Gingrich does.

Common_Cents

Staying relevant in media.

You know the big establishment/media message out of FL if Gingrich doesnt win or make it real close, is romney has it all sewn up. Suddenly people fall in line and the oxygen gets sucked up for other candidates.

February could be real tough for Gingrich with no debates til the last week, and primaries/caucuses are in Mittens friendly states.

We could see another resurgence of Gingrich after that period in conservative states, but he has to get some fundraising to get the message out until debates in late Feb and early march.

Santorum must be already bought off by Romney, or acting like a whiny entitled kid if he stays in. If Rick truly loved his country, he’d drop out now and endorse Gingrich.

It makes sense the media has removed the “anti romney” references in not to encourage consolidation.

Romney is going to get clobbered by the media, much worse than McCain and he has shown, he has no ability to fight back.

Common_Cents

Erick says Rick won’t listen. That’s not the point. I guess Romney is many pundits 2nd choice over gingrich at this point?

okpensfan

What damage do we do if we put someone in who is too weak to fix the current mess? Or even just improve it? If we get a guy who caves to the opposition, has no strong positions of his own, after four more years the GOP will now own the mess and we *will* be worse off – because it will take years to get someone good in office. I want to hope that Romney wouldn’t be that bad – but, I have seen nothing to convince me yet.

soothsayer14

Mitt ran as a Republican in Massachusetts and won. He did some good things there. To judge him because he was not able to get through a strong conservative agenda in MA is ridiculous.

This is going to be an election on the economy. Mitt has the business experience and economic acumen to win. You do not amass a 500 million dollar fortune by being a bad businessman.

By contrast you have Gingrich, who face it, has flip-flopped just as much as Romney on issues. Gingrich claims as speaker he created jobs. We do not need someone running against Obama arguing who is better at creating jobs using the power of government.

Why has nobody who served with Newt in congress stepped up and voiced their support of him? You have Perry, who did it just because he hates Romney, and Cain, who did it because they probably go swinging together. Gingrich can not win, people see it and that is why he is losing, and will not me nominated. See you at the convention, I will save you a Romney shirt.

arthurjake

Romney would govern that much different from Obama. His record as a governor speaks volumes for itself. Also his record in business is cause for concern. Legal it might be but ethical it is not. Who is to say he will not continue to rape the taxpayer to further his own wealth like Obama clearly has through crony capitalism.

azaeroprof

is to avenge his father for the damage that Barry Goldwater/Ronald Reagan wrought on his (& Rockefeller’s) wing of the party. His posing as a variety of conservative is strictly that: posing. He is counting on the fact that most voters weren’t alive (or at least aware) of his father.

After he cinches up the nomination, watch the media attacks begin. It will be a non-stop Bain Capital screed. Oh, and notice the increased frequency at which the word “Mormon” will appear in newscasts. There are a lot more Dems/Indies that will take offense to voting for a Mormon than there are Repubs. The vast majority of us view his strong faith (even if its one with which we disagree) as a plus.

Tbone

The Democrat extremists operate from the far left, the Republican extremists operate from the near left. However, I don’t think Mitt Romney and his ilk should be called “Moderates”. Anyone who is ruining America is not a moderate.

Conservatives have to take back the Republican Party and institute a sane primary process so that real conservatives like Rick Perry have a chance.

Common_Cents

There is a big difference.

When you are actively part of the DC establishment there is a different mind set and bias about retaining party power.

Once you are out of there, you have an easier time speaking your mind.

How hard is that to comprehend?

benko

that you are not paying attention.

I live in PA where santorum supported Specter and would rather have Romney (gag) then Santorum.

Common_Cents

I haven’t seen an analysis of this.

soothsayer14

Are you aware Gingrich was exposed for having a legion of fake twitter followers?

oops!

http://gawker.com/5826960

Common_Cents

Alf isn’t bad, Romney does have those beady eyes.

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

If/when Newt withdraws he will be the only ‘not-Romney’ left standing.

I predict he will stay in longer than Newt.

ptamom

I am deeply concerned about what I believe to be the misrepresentation of Romney as a conservative and as a moderate Republican in the current presidential race.

The stark difference between Romney’s views now and his record as Governor of Massachusetts should give us pause.

As a PTA mom from Maryland and a Republican volunteer in our county, I have followed Massachusetts politics via email news from www.MassResistance.org since the 2003 court redefinition of marriage in Massachusetts. Living in a “blue” state with 2 children in public schools, I have been concerned about the impact of the redefinition of marriage on public schools.

In their comprehensive report of Romney?s record entitled, “The Mitt Romney Deception”, the grass roots pro-family group Mass Resistance states “Indeed, this report will demonstrate that Romney was probably the most pro-abortion and pro-gay rights Republican official in the nation for the last decade.” The evidence is carefully documented by newspaper accounts with all sources listed at the end of their report.

Romney’s record as Governor in Masschusetts from 2003-2007 and his actions while a presidential candidate have not shown a committment to good government and have shown a willingness to exert undue influence on the media in my opinion. We are so in need of good leadership to take on the politically motivated decisions that harm so many Americans and benefit only a few. I do not feel that Romney’s record as Governor indicates a willingness to govern in that way.

I am also concerned about Romney?s choice of judges and the state of the Republican Party in Massachusetts after his tenure as Governor.

For more information, please refer to the details under the subheadings below.

Thank you for your consideration of this material.

**************************************************************

www.MassResistance.org/romney

***************** the subheadings below are copied from The Mitt Romney Deception Report The 26-page comprehensive report describing how Gov. Romney ran for office and governed as a liberal, despite his claims to the contrary. This covers a wide range of topics and is an essential read.

Romney supports abortion in general, and believes in sustaining Roe v. Wade.

Romney campaigned for Governor of Massachusetts as a pro-choice candidate, and was endorsed by a pro-abortion political group

Romney is willing to support some embryonic stem cell research

Romney Approves of Abortion Pill and Supports the Legalization of RU-486

Romney signs “Right to Privacy” Proclamation celebrating birth control availability

Gov. Romney has a long history of promoting and furthering the homosexual agenda, and working closely with leading gay activists

Romney twice sought and received the endorsement of the homosexual Log Cabin Republican Club

Romney’s campaign distributed pro-gay rights campaign literature during Boston’s “Gay Pride” events

Romney supports homosexual “anti-discrimination” laws

Romney advocates homosexual couples’ adoption rights be recognized by the government

Romney supports homosexual domestic partnerships

Romney supported and promoted legalizing homosexual civil unions

Romney Opposes the Boy Scouts’ Ban on Homosexual Scoutmasters

Romney barred Boy Scouts from public participation in 2002 Olympics

Romney appointed prominent homosexuals to key positions in his administration

Romney appointed prominent homosexual activists and Democrats as judges

“Governor Mitt Romney, who touts his conservative credentials to out-of-state Republicans, has passed over GOP lawyers for three-quarters of the 36 judicial vacancies he has faced, instead tapping registered Democrats or independents — including two gay lawyers who have supported expanded same-sex rights, a Globe review of the nominations has found. Of the 36 people Romney named to be judges or clerk magistrates, 23 are either registered Democrats or unenrolled voters who have made multiple contributions to Democratic politicians or who voted in Democratic primaries, state and local records show. In all, he has nominated nine registered Republicans, 13 unenrolled voters, and 14 registered Democrats.”
- Boston Globe 7/25/2005, “Romney jurist picks not tilted to GOP; Independents, Democrats get call”

Romney Rewards one of the State’s Leading Anti-Marriage Attorneys by Making him a Judge

Romney announces he won’t fill judicial vacancies before term ends

Romney’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth used huge taxpayer funding to promote homosexuality in the public schools

Romney’s Commission organized public gay “Youth Pride Day” parades and “transgender proms” which promote unhealthy and risky behavior

Romney issues a proclamation celebrating gay “Youth Pride Day”

Romney’s Department of Education promotes the homosexual agenda

Romney’s Department of Public Health (DPH) cooperates with the homosexual activist movement

Romney opposed federal legislation that would stop public schools from promoting homosexuality

Romney’s Dept. of Social Services honors homosexual “married” couple as adoptive “Parents of the Year”

Romney refused to endorse the original 2002 Mass. constitutional amendment absolutely defining marriage as one man and one women

Romney unnecessarily (and unconstitutionally) implemented homosexual marriages in Massachusetts

Romney had marriage licenses changed to allow same-sex marriages

Romney administration ordered Justices of Peace to perform homosexual “marriages” when asked – or be fired!

Romney administration’s training of Town Clerks (on how to issue same-sex marriage licenses) states that marriage statutes were not changed

Romney signs bill eliminating Sexual Transmitted Disease (STD) testing requirement for marriage

When requested of him, Romney personally issues special one-day certificates to allow otherwise unqualified people to perform homosexual “marriages”

Was Romney’s public opposition to homosexual “marriage” based on expediency, not principle?

Romney favors “Assault” Weapons Ban

Romney Favors Waiting Periods

Romney supports minimum wage laws

Romney Balances Budget with $500 Million in New Fees

Romney imposes “socialized” health care on Massachusetts

Romney’s dismal record as the Republican leader in Massachusetts

Romney pledged to build the Massachusetts Republican Party, but in fact he did almost nothing. During his tenure there were two elections for the entire Legislature (2004 and 2006). In each election the Republicans lost seats. Republicans now hold the fewest seats in the Legislature since the Civil War.
During the four years of Romney’s tenure, the number of registered Republicans in Massachusetts fell by 31,000. During that same period, the Massachusetts Democratic Party gained 30,000. “…… That means Republicans now make up 12.5 percent of the state’s voters, … according to the data released by the Secretary of State’s office. When the state elected Romney, a Republican, in 2002, the GOP made up 13.4 percent of the electorate. ”
- Boston Globe, 11/2/2006, “GOP ranks dropped by 31,000 since state elected Romney”
In the 2006 elections, most offices were not even challenged by Republican candidates. In the November general election for the six statewide Massachusetts constitutional offices there were more Green-Rainbow Party candidates on the ballot than Republicans!
The party’s slide has been so precipitous that Republicans yesterday did not contest 130 of 200 legislative seats, fielded a challenger in only three of 10 congressional districts, and put up fewer candidates for statewide office (three) than the Green-Rainbow Party (four).
- Boston Globe, 11/8/2006, “For Republicans in Mass., a feeling of out and down”

**************************************************************************

Comments from the head of the Massachusetts Republican Party, James Rappaport, who was Chairman while Romney was Governor.

?…James Rappaport, former head of the Massachusetts Republican Party held a press conference recently to announce his endorsement of Rudy Giuliani. ….. Rappaport, who served when Romney was governor, said Romney ?has a strong record of showmanship as opposed to actual performance.? On his relationship with the State Legislature, ?His word is no good ? Mitt Romney would say one thing in a meeting and literally go out of the meeting to the press and tell the opposite story. There was no desire in the legislature to be accommodating to him because they couldn?t trust him?. Romney will be clear today on what he believes today, and he?ll be clear tomorrow on what he believes tomorrow, but they may be different things.?

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/SandyRios/2007/12/10/mitt_romney_may_have_had_no_choice,_but_i_do

**************************************************************************

Conservative media has a conflict of interest with Romney.

I believe that some conservative media, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levine, Rich Lowry, Hugh Hewitt, and others perpetuated a false idea during the 2008 campaign, i.e. the idea that Romney is conservative. Their scrutiny of Huckabee and McCain’s conservative credentials during the 2008 campaign was often emotional and full of highly charged, derogatory terms, while they were more silent about holes in Romney’s conservative credentials.

On Nov 16, 2006, Clear Channel Communications agreed to be acquired by Bain Capital and Thomas Lee Partners for nearly $19 billion. Bain Capital is the private equity firm founded by Mitt Romney in 1984; that he left in 1999 to head the 2002 Olympics; that he sold his majority interest in, in 2001 to run for Governor of Massachusetts; where he is still a silent partner. The sale was completed in Dec 2007 after 1 year of pending negotiations of the leveraged buyout agreement. Clear Channel owns more than 1,100 full-power AM, FM, and shortwave radio stations, twelve radio channels on XM Satellite Radio, and more than 30 television stations in the United States.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/16/AR2006111600537.html

Premiere Radio Networks, which is the largest syndication company in the United States, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Channel and is home to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, FOX NEWS Radio and many other talk radio shows. Premiere Radio Networks is transitioning to a new CEO Charlie Rahilly from Kraig Kitchin. Sean Hannity recently signed a large multi-market contract with Clear Channel.

The early Bain Capital team included Romney’s campaign advisor, Robert F. White. According to CNN/Money magazine’s Dec 10, 2007 article entitled “Millionaires-in-chief”, some 43% of Romney’s portfolio is currently invested in Bain Capital. On the Bain Capital website it says “Our principals are the largest single investor in each of Bain Capital’s funds,..”
(http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0712/gallery.candidates.moneymag/6.html )

**************************************************************************

Other informative reports:

Report on the true pro-life views of Gov. Romney – Written in reaction to the controversy over Romney’s various pro-life stands.

How Mitt Romney brought “gay marriage” to Massachusetts – Complete report with comprehensive legal analysis. The Supreme Judicial Court made a ruling and ordered the Legislature to act. The Legislature did nothing, so Romney stepped in and ordered same-sex “marriages” to begin — essentially violating his oath of office.

A new book, “Mitt Romney’s Deception — His Stealth Promotion of “Gay Rights” and “Gay Marriage”in Massachusetts” Contrary to Governor Romney’s claim that he defended marriage, the Constitution, traditional values, and religious freedom, he actually undermined them.

Common_Cents

His big chance is energizing the tea party and grass roots. He is already pretty much an outcast from the DC establishment already, so he doesn’t have much to lose there.

Gingrich would get huge credibility if he goes this route.

Common_Cents

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

Santorum has had a more conservative record than Newt, and on endorsements, Santorum endorsed conservative Doug Hoffman in NY-23 when Newt was supporting Dede Scozzafava the RINO.

hls87

Erick is like the proverbial headless chicken running about the farmyard pathetically unaware that it’s already dead. Gingrich has never been in the running for the Republican nomination. Santorum could drop out and endorse him. He still wouldn’t be in the running. In fact, Gingrich would lose a one-man race. Romney could drop out after getting arrested for insider trading or die of a massive heart attack; the Party would just find somebody else. There is no set of circumstances under which a majority of the GOP will join hands and go over a cliff with Speaker Newt.

Romney is ideologically unacceptable to conservatives; so was John McCain. Apparently there are few conservatives even in the Republican Party. Mitt is progressive, but he is nonetheless a plausible presidential candidate and neither Gingrich nor Santorum is. The sole plausible candidate will sweep a risible field every time. Gingrich and Santorum constitute a risible field.

Republicans had one, and only one, plausible conservative alternative to Romney. They couldn’t pick him out of a lineup. Instead, they cast empty protest votes for the ridiculous Santorum and the preposterous Gingrich.

Game Over.

Ann_W

I share some of your concerns with Romney. But I think a man (Newt) who is this up front about tossing aside women when they are “too old and not pretty enough” would do much damage to marriages also. It is a very destructive view, very prevalent in the country, and getting it from the right, also, sucks.

mikelindell2

So then Reagan’s economic policies didn’t help create jobs? Washington can absolutely create an unfriendly or friendly environment for job creation. There’s no point in nominating someone identical to Obama.Then when Romney loses to Obama, people like you will say if Romney couldn’t win then n oone could. People like me will know better.

Finrod

Mitt also stood right there on the debate stage and said he had no knowledge of the cheap attack ad he ran against Newt that had ‘My name is Mitt Romney and I approved this message’.

Romney is less trustworthy than Obama; at least Obama will consistently veer hard left.

In The Hook

I’ve said from day one that I wanted the most conservative but generic Republican possible to be the nominee. That way we could run a true referendum campaign against Obama. Both the tactics and the result would be tremendous.

Then Daniels took a pass. Huntsman gave the finger to the base when he ran as MSNBC’s lackey. And being “generic” doesn’t allow you to stand out in a primary, which is why Pawlenty was run out so quickly. Perry was a risk given that he would be tied to Bush easily but I thought that risk/reward was worth it. But they’re all gone now. So our choice is between a flip-flopper who is a decent guy and has an organization and a flip-flipper who is a terrible human being, has no organization and who flat out lies about his record. It’s not a great choice.

That said, voting for Romney will feel just slightly better than doing so for McCain. Especially if he gets a true non-radioactive conservative like Rubio or McDonnell as his VP.

mike57

Senator Coburn is very popular here in Oklahoma, and is a fine conservative gentlemen. Congressman Paul is very popular just south of here, down in Texas, and is also a fine conservative gentlemen. Maybe you should stop the name calling.

mikeymike143

neither candidate is going to drop out. but if u combine their electoral votes and resources they can knock off romney.

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

Romney isnt the incumbent President.

Newt is falling behind Romney because he has issues of his own. Can he rally after losing Florida?

I dont think so, here’s why: He won in SC as voter responded to his positive rebuttal of issues raised, while Romney was super-defensive on his issues (taxes, Bain etc). Voter thought “huh, maybe Romney isnt the ‘electable’ one after all.” And voted newt.

WELL .. since then we find out:
1. What Newt said in his famous John King exchange wasnt the whole truth.
2. Romney HAS stepped up his game, released his tax records, it shows he paid taxes on time and in full, and has defended more robustly his record as private equity venture capitalist.
3. Media (Wolf Blitzer) wont let Newt use them a foil anymore.
4. Newt’s to Romney’s left on immigration.

But more important than all that is how the general election matchup polls shows a huge electability gap. Romney is even with Obama, while Newt is maybe 10-12pts behind, in the SAME poll. These numbers havent moved much, AND Its not because Newt is an unknown, he is known. He’s just unpopular with independents.

Bottom line: This aint no Reagan v Ford matchup. Newt’s our Howard Dean, and Romney our John Kerry (Santorum can fill in for John Edwards I guess).

If newt does lose by 14 points, it’s over.

This may suggest that a Romney/Santorum ticket is possible, but if I was Romney I’d probably ask Mitch Daniels or Bobby Jindhal.

Finrod

We had the Reagan Revolution and he won re-election with 49 states.

Oh, is that not what you’re thinking of?

annie54

wonder if I can pull the lever for Romney. My reasoning is spiritual as well as Mitt’s lack of scruples and true conservatism. Santorum should join with Newt, but he appears to have this false ‘knowledge’ that he will be the nominee. I think the Evangelicals must have instilled that in him. Newt is our best bet. If anyone thinks we’ll get an acceptable candidate out of a brokered convention, they’re sipping the wrong drink.

In The Hook

Who would businesses feel more comfortable with sitting in the Oval Office? A community organizer turned hope-and-change president? Or one of their own?

Finrod

.

hls87

In my view the problem lies with the voters, not the process. If Iowa voters wanted a conservative alternative to Romney it was in their power to launch one. Rick Perry had every opportunity to win there. Iowa was as favorable a starting point as any for him. Voters there preferred to vote for Romney or to cast empty protest votes for Santorum. South Carolina could have served as a firewall. It was the last chance for voters to select a plausible alternative to Romney. SC voters again preferred to cast an empty protest vote for a has-been blowhard who never had the slightest chance of beating Romney.

We don’t really need a better process, we need better voters. Conservative opinion leaders are falling down on the job in a big way. The people who are supposed to be educating voters, aren’t. Their failure is reflected in Republican presidential primary results, cycle after cycle.

arthurjake

Economically it might not be a bad idea if we can cut enough out of the budget elsewhere to be able to afford to do it. NASA has paid back economically and then some what was put into it. It is one of the few government agencies worth the money put in.

mikelindell2

It has to do with policies not background. Reagan was an actor who had the right policies.

courdeleon02

He has placed himself as more important than the future of this country. If he cannot win he will make sure that Romney cnnot as well.This is a self centered little boy who is impressed only by himself. Now I can see why his marriges never worked out. No women would put up with this slander and nasty disposition. I would compare him to Hitler in his bunker. No amount of reason will change this mans mind. He is hell bent on destroying Romney even if it means 4 more years of Obama and a liberal SCOTUS coupled with a continuation of the marxist socialist policies. Newt believes he is more important than what is good for the country.

soothsayer14

This election will be about the economy. With Romney in the race Obama will make it an Occupy, 1% issue, which is one we should welcome with open arms. That is a debate we can win. Romney can run on Obama’s economic incompetence.

Gingrich, on the other hand, will either be conjuring up stories from back in the 90s when I was speaker……

Unless he wants to talk about all the fine work he did after that, like being on the Fannie Mae payroll while they were in the middle of destroying our economy.

Or he can talk about how he used his Washington insider connections to lobby congress on behalf of big pharma.

He can talk about these things but most of the time he is going to be fighting the Obama attack machine regarding his long, sordid past of being habitually unfaithful to his wives, his shameful ethics violations and his central role in working with the global elite to ship jobs off to China and the third world by the millions.

But, none of this really matters because he is not going to get the nomination. End of story.

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

But most of those conservatives are NOT the professional-activist-nitpicking uber-conservatives.

Most primary voters pick who they like the most, even if their views dont always match. Romney looks the part of President out of central casting, and he’s had practice at this.

When conservative voters pick a non-conservative to be the party’s nominee, it drives the professional-class conservatives to distraction. It doesnt help that we are living in a fun-house mirror world where the flaws of conservatives are expanded and non-conservatives are diminished.

Like the bizarre comment that Santorum is not a plausible nominee, when he’s won tough districts before and had 10X the national experience our current President had when winning. santorum also is not on his 3rd wife, didnt lobby for fannie mae, and has no swiss bank accounts, didnt pay 15% on $20 million in earnings, etc.

I am sure if Romney WAS a true blue conservative, he’d be considered totally and completely unacceptable both to you and the ‘establishment’. It’s a catch-22. The rather disrespectful way to talk of the not-Romney candidates has been part of the problem, in that the grassroots does NOT like the establishment telling them who constitutes a ‘plausible’ candidate — it’s frankly unhelpful, because we were told Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Marco Rubio were all “implausible” candidates at one point.

In truth, Romney, Newt and Santorum are ALL plausible, the question is who is the strongest candidate and would make the best President.

At this point, for conservatives, the best choice that combines conservative principles and electability is Santorum.

annie54

in my state concerning local candidates for State positions. People aren’t reading and researching! They whine like crazy about issues, but when they don’t know any of the candidates, what kind of a mark can they make?

Is that what we’re going to run into with the General Election? They know who the American Idol is, who is winning in the NBA, the NCAA basketball standings and who’s in the Super Bowl, but that’s it.

Oh, but they want “it” fixed!

soothsayer14

You are saying we should not nominate Romney because of his stance on gays?

Good to see you have your priorities in order.

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

If there is anyone who is helping Obama, its those who go off unhinged over a GOP candidate like you have.

If Romney is a weak candidate it is better to find out now.
That’s what primaries are for.
Newt did us all a favor by being strong enough to get Romney to DEFEND his record and release his tax records.

Everything you say could be turned around on Romney, who is also running for President – for him or us? Dont Romney’s negative ads only help Obama?

Melody Warbington (rwm52)

. . .

soothsayer14

You just summarized the critical thinking skills of about half of this website.

hls87

Rick Santorum will never hold another elective office. He’s the personification of the failed, “moderate” Republican approach to government that led to his ouster from the Senate by an 18 point margin. He’s the poster child for the politics of accomodation that gave us Barrack Obama. He’s running for President because he had no reasonable prospect of winning a statewide race in PA. A quixotic presidential campaign was the only move open to him. It kept him in the game a bit longer and raised his profile. Good for him, but he was never a serious presidential candidate and he never will be.

soothsayer14

neither Romney, Gingrich or Obama is going to end crony capitalism.

If you think Gingrich will you are deluding yourself.

If you are looking for someone who is fundamentally going to change our economic and political system you should be supporting Ron Paul.

The guy who is going to do the best with the system we have is Romney, IMO.

cbartlett

Why was Sarah Palin blasted for running for national office because she “had children to take care of” at home – especially a pregnant teenager and a special-needs toddler, but nobody says anything about Santorum having SEVEN young children still at home? It’s OK for Dad to ignore the kids for 4 years, but not a mom? I would think the past few days with a child in ICU, people would wake up to the challenge and distractions a young father would have trying to run the country AND a family.

soothsayer14

If we can cut a few hundred billion dollars from the budget we should be happy that we are closer to a balanced budget.

Cutting a few hundred billion dollars just to spend it on something else, especially a damn moon colony is the kind of big government GOP garbage that almost killed the party under GWB.

Melody Warbington (rwm52)

abortion (in his own words in the video above) do to unborn women? At least Newt was dealing with grown women.

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

Finally, some people are beginning to see the light.

Then again, it may be too late.

Iowa picked Santorum to be the ‘not-Romney’ and then Santorum led Newt and Perry in NH, and yet many people rejected that verdict, chasing after Newt as the not-Romney. Problem is Newt’s baggage is weighing him down.

If Newt withdrew and endorsed SANTORUM you’d have an interesting race.

Otherwise … expect Romney as nominee.

soothsayer14

Does that mean because Romney is a Mormon you aren’t supporting him?

I think this is actually a big driver behind the Mitt Romney opposition and frankly, I find it sad.

In The Hook

Before that he was a major labor leader (imagine that!) And after he left the governorship, he was a presidential candidate for half a decade. He wasn’t “an actor with the right policies.”

http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

that he would repeal ALL of ObamaCare; end state health ins monopolies; and other commitments that lower heal care costs; and that he not retain the 26 yr old child on parents policy and pre-existing condition coverage mandate as currently written that would bankrupting the health ins industry.

soothsayer14

I thought the reason we argued about Abortion was to get people to change their minds on it?

Either way, using this as a litmus test is so outdated.

I mean I am fundamentally pro-life, but as a realist I accept that Roe v Wade is here to stay.

What we can do is limit things like taxpayer funded abortions, partial birth abortions and abortions by minors without parental consent. And on those things Romney is very solid. And he has been flexible enough on the issue to let the millions of pro choice women know he isn’t an extremist like Santorum on the issue.

cbartlett

Obama would cream Mitt in November. All of those videos out there showing Romney flip flops will be played over and over and over. And then they’ll roll out the class-envy stuff about his wealth. The Dems have the money (Soros, etc.) to just re-play every single negative ad that Mitt’s opponents (including Newt) have put out during this nasty primary. There will be no good reason for anyone to vote for Romney over Obama. Santorum needs to come to his senses and support Newt as the best anti-Romney. Romney is worse than McCain – it will be embarrassing.

acat

That’s the other redemptive path open to him.

Imagine him running HHS for Romney, though …

Mew

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

Romney endorsed a left-liberal Democrat mayor of SaltLake City. he noatbly didnt endorse Reagan-Bush in his 1994 run, voted for Tsongas in 1992, etc.

Santorum endorsed an incumbent Republican colleague who worked with him and in so doing got him to promise to support bush’s conservative judicial SCOTUS appointees. Reagan also endorsed non-conservative pro-choice incumbent Republicans, like when he endorsed Millicent Fenwick.

Newt support Rockefellar back in the day.
Newt endorsed a turncoat Democrat in Texas House district 14 in 1996 against a primary challenger – that challenger was Ron Paul.
Small world.

This history of endorsements shows that Santorum has the most conservative record overall.

If you are endorsing Newt or Romney over Santorum, you are endorsing the less conservative choices – no different than what Santorum did in 2004, but he had his reasons to support a colleague who had worked with him and who was an incumbent. There’s no incumbency excuse here. Choose wisely.

acat

Pledges fail the “Words. Just words.” test.

I want the Romney campaign to make some better enemies. I want him to take the gloves off and stop calling Obama a nice but naive guy and start calling him dangerous and incompetent.

I want to see Romney show some anti-Obama leadership.

That’s what’s needed to win the general election, after all, so there should be someone (anyone?) inside his campaign that’s working on it – it’s time to roll out the guns.

Mew

circlegranch

Of course, he’d love to see a miracle and get a head of steam up against Romney, but that’s highly unlikely. Instead, he’s after a position in the new Cabinet—maybe HHS Secy, National Security advisor?

eyesopen007

“car[ing] about conservative principles”. He proved beyond all doubt that he doesn’t care about conservative principals when he continued to back the disgusting Arlen Specter against Pat Toomey. Santorum has NEVER expressed any regret nor remorse for that, and has NEVER offered anything that sounded even a little bit like an apology. He is a RINO just like his buddy Arlen. Someone suggested that Santorum is staying in the race as part of a deal made with Romney. I would say that you can be almost certain of it.

EyesOpen007

cbartlett

I thought Newt’s idea for the moon colony development was to offer a prize to private industry to encourage competition? I would assume that the “prize” would be considerably less $$ than what it would take the feds to do the exploration and development themselves? Seems like this would create jobs in the private sector. How is that a bad thing?

annplato

Sarah Palin WAS anti-establishment in her own state! Herman Cain needs no explanation: he is a conservative BLACK man! Gingrich was eviscerated by those who are NOW in the establishment “republican” and have the LOWEST approval number!

Newt is the “maverick” McCain wasn’t! He is not well-liked because he is feared!

I believe that WE need someone whom both sides fear, therefore dislike! We feel the same! Let there be a REAL revolution in Washington, DC, then perhaps we CAN return to where we have strayed from since Gingrich was pushed out by the ?insiders?!

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

Part of why the conservative and Tea Party movement is flailing is the attraction to media-savvy ‘leaders’ who are not real leaders and not serious and thoughtful conservatives. Palin is exhibit A.

hobiecat

Romney will govern like Nixon.

soothsayer14

How big would the prize have to be to entice a private company to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on a moon colony?

Even if there were companies that had the money to do it the prize would have to be ridiculously high.

You are confusing Gingrich’s idea of prizes for certain things and his moon colony promise to the space coast. 2 different things.

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

I think people who use explanation points are putting it there to substitute for logical thought! It doesnt make it more true!

People who were Speaker, or Governor, or on the Federal reserve are not “anti-establishment”, they are people in power! “Mavericks” does not mean “good”, it means unpredictable!

annplato

We need conservative revolution like we had with Newt!

soothsayer14

People fear what kind of skeleton is going to jump out of his closet.

People fear what kind of half baked hair brained idea he is going to come up with in a campaign where every utterance is scrutinized.

People fear that women are going to flee to Obama en masse when they see teary eyed ex-wives describing all of the terrible things they went through to Katie Couric.

People fear Gingrich because he is erratic, untrustworthy and narcissistic, not because of his ability to get things done.

Someone else said it best, we are faced with choosing between a flip flopper who is generally a good guy with great organization and a successful career in the private sector, and a flip flopper who is a liar and a cheat in both his personal and professional life, with no organization and an unsuccessful career as a politican and lobbyist.

Seems like a no brainer to me, but I am just a guitar player.

Melody Warbington (rwm52)

in order to pacify pro choice women. That pretty much sums up the problem. If he’s willing to go along on the fundamental issue of life, it’s not a stretch to believe he’ll pander on anything. Romney’s ability to be “flexible” exemplifies exactly why I and so many others do not trust him to do what he says.

And what exactly is an “extremist” position on abortion?

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

You are right to be concerned about Romney.
But he will have enough of an agenda and with a Republican Congress should do some good.

We wont be worse off.

Romney is more conservative than his image. More dangerous is to have Newt, who is really not as conservative as his image, as the nominee and watch him lose a winnable election. we dont want Obama re-elected. Then everything Obama built up, the spending, the obamacare , etc stays.

I’d say the risk of Newt losing is greater than the Romney risk of being a total non-conservative disaster.

cbartlett

Why will Romney defeat Obama when McCain couldn’t? What does Mitt have that McCain didn’t? Besides wealth, I mean. And – oh yeah – Obama has been setting up the class-envy narrative for months. Add that to the ads against Mitt – what a winning strategy! Not.

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

for whatever excuse they could come up with. I dont recall any conservatives of note taking her on over her campaigning while she had a young special needs child to deal with, or deciding that she shouldnt be on Foxnews etc. because of her kids.

So you propose to imitate the leftists by criticizing a candidate, who btw, stopped off the campaign trail just last week because of her daughter? That makes no sense. But I’m sure that calling the 50yo Santorum a ‘young father’ he would take a compliment.

soothsayer14

on abortion is being against it even when a woman was the victim of rape or incest.

And I do not doubt Romney is fundamentally pro-life. But he is a realist. We should be working to limit the number of abortions and fighting the issues I described above. Roe v Wade is not going to be repealed. An extremist like Santorum could win the presidency and be president for 8 years and it still would not be repealed.

I fully support the right to life’s fight to do all they can on the issue, and if you feel strongly enough about it to be a single issue voter, then that is your right as an American. I just disagree, if someone is willing to fight for the things I described, that is enough for me. I would support a pro-choice candidate if I agreed with them on enough other issues. I know some people can’t and won’t accept that. To each their own.

bonnman

It was a 30 year program to be directed and researched by NASA and thus at government expense. But even if he has revised his ideas now to be a “prize” why is that a good thing? you’re arguing that we should use federal funding on the private sector to stimulate the economy. you’re essentially in agreement then with Keynesian economic principles. And here I was thinking it would be Romney that killed conservatism.

annplato

Newt married the women he got involved with, which shows he is not “using them as commodities”!

Newt was seduced by his first wife and the second wife (who seduced him form the first) wanted him ALL for herself (and that included his political career!).

Have you never met a GOOD man who just has bad luck with women? I DID! My son is one of them! He is one of those “geeks” that gets “picked up” by controlling women, who when they see that he cannot be controlled they want out! Men don’t cheat on good women; they are PUSHDE by their wives to cheat on them with the next controlling seductress!

There are two hemispheres in the brain, and the action of one side of the brain does not necessarily control the behavior of the other hemisphere! Logic and love are on the opposite sides and don?t necessarily collude.

In The Hook

Go read any of my previous posts on this subject for a more descriptive analysis. I’ll sum it up again thusly: Romney is the most generic candidate left and thus has the best chance of making this about Obama and not about our candidate.

Against Santorum, he runs against “bigotry.” Against Gingrich he runs against personal baggage and flat-out crazy. Against Paul… that’s not even worth my time.

Against Romney he runs either an Occupy campaign or a Bush 2004-style campaign. Either one of those gets us at least in the ballpark and we work from there.

I don’t know that Romney wins against Obama. I do know that his negatives will not offset the economy. If it fails to improve or worsens, we’re OK. If it strengthens a lot we lose no matter what. I really do think either Santorum or Gingrich’s negatives would override anything short of an economic catastrophe.

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

If you want to know why the conservative movement is in disarray, this paragraph is a perfect example.

20 years of conservative service can be wiped away by merely being supportive of an incumbent colleague. Never mind that Toomey forgave Santorum, we cannot.

There is a lack of balance, logic and common sense here.

“Someone suggested that Santorum is staying in the race as part of a deal made with Romney. I would say that you can be almost certain of it.”

and you say this not because there is evidence but because you can read people’s minds. Jeeez.

And now, having thrown one conservative overboard for the sin of not supporting a fellow conservative (of course, you are exempted from being punished from this sin), your great and wonderful better candidate is … ????

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

The only person stopping Mitt from wrapping this up post-Florida will be Santorum.

EE, you gotta step up to the plate, admit what common sense and the polls are telling you, which is that Santorum leaving helps Mitt not Newt.

celador2

Rick Santorum lost reelection to Senate by a double digit spread to Bob Casey 2006. Iraq was an unpopular war and retiring Jim Webb won in Virginia also. But, ousted Sen Allen is running for his old seat to Senate this year in VIrginia.

How strong is Santorum in his homestate of PA? I think he resides in northern Virginia but so do many politicians.

If Santorum can carry PA he would make a strong VP as PA is a swing state that trends Dem but which saw gains for GOP 2010.

If Santorum is persona non grata in PA after years, what is wrong with him in voters eyes? That bad karma worries me. He should make it right with PA if there is a chill.

soothsayer14

So little Newt was just a helpless man terrorized by his controlling wives and falling victim to seductresses.

Geez I hope Russia doesn’t make Maria Sharapova or Anna Kournikova president, we could be in big trouble in those negotiations!! He would apparently sell his soul after hearing that siren song! He would be helpless to resist it!

carolynr

Besides people not wanting to be accountable…since when is it they are now incapable of “thinking for themselves”. Have they not learned that the MSM and candidates lie? So…who lies less is what it boils down to. So…if WILLARD wins FL…then the rest of the states voting will go with the winner…because he is “electable”. Forget the fact the WILLARD is again lying in FL…especially about the ethics violations that were all but found bogus re Gingrich.

I, like kitty, will vote for the GOP candidate…but in four years…not so sure. So, with all the millions that Romney has spent…we know this. The man seems to have a “shady” background with Bain Capital…by this I mean specifically the Damon Corporation…where he lied about his involvement. Common thread for non-thinkers reading RedState for the first time…Romney has a propensity to LIE. Then we have his political background. Besides changing positions, which, btw, he has changed again…he loses. His claim to fame..Romneycare! Isn’t that enough.

No…the MSM says that he is smart. SO WHAT…they say that about Obama…how do you like your life today??? His record stinks and we have to vote for him because he is more electable? Excuse me…the man is a three time loser…does that show a record. While Gingrich is less than pure…the man did have a record in the House and he did get things done for our benefit…you know…we the people.

Do I wish Gingrich would have shut up about the moon…yes. Do I want to know about their views concerning Medicare and SS…YES…and nobody is talking about that in the Great Northern State of FL (excepting central FL and the Panhandle).

I think that many Americans now voting are nothing more than pawns for the MSM. They no longer THINK. They just follow along without any reasoning behind their actions.

And these same people called Perry dumb…AND HE HAD A RECORD…oh well, forget that…just pay attention to the talking heads…they always tell us the truth.

mike57

Neither Speaker Gingirch nor Governor Romney have committed to making the immediate, massive budget cuts that will prevent a US default from occuring sooner or later. Shouldn’t we be using this forum to push whoever our nominee is to adopt sound economic policy?

Reducing the size of increase in the budget merely delays the inevitable US financial collapse by a short time, Why is it that the only candidate that is realistic about economics is Congressman Paul, who won’t win the nomination?

Shouldn’t we be pushing both the Romney campaign and the Gingrich campaign to commit to real, meaningful budget cuts?

cbartlett

These social / economic positions seem to be rather liberal for someone in that church. One of the most interesting statistics listed in ptamom’s post above is the decline in the number of registered Republicans under his tenure a Governor. What’s up with that?

I had also forgotton that he disallowed Boy Scouts participation at the Olympics because of the BSA ban on gay scoutmasters. What a popular guy!

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

They had the closer look at all the candidates.
They picked Santorum.

Despite all the nitpicks about Santorum, he has proven to be the most consistently all-around conservative candidate.

What conservative SHOULD have clued themselves into was the fact that the 4th and 5th place Iowa finishers were NOT going to be nominees. Instead, redstate and other wasted effort trying to keep a campaign (Perry) going forward when it was goign nowhere. Then it was jumping on the Newt bandwagon, when all along he was a flawed candidate for various reasons.

“We don?t really need a better process, we need better voters. Conservative opinion leaders are falling down on the job in a big way. ”

After all this bluster about how we are against ‘the establishment’ you wan them to actually tell you who to vote for?

After about 30 debates, putting candidates under figurative colonoscopies, we need MORE voter education?

You complaint sounds like ‘the people have spoken, the bastards’.

carolynr

Many of us are not too happy about who we have to choose from…so we look at who has the best chance to help this country. At least Gingrich has a record of some positive action.

All we know is this…if we do not get Obama out of the WH along with all his czars…this country is doomed. Think outside of the box…who is very careful…very cautious about everything for his benefit…Romney. We’re going over the cliff…we need a MEGA plan…not the SOS.

Now Gingrich…warts and all…and he does have them…does have some very good ideas and if we get an American Congress…yes…get rid of the Commies (70+ Dem members of members of the Socialist Party)…we might be able to make a little headway. Does he go off the reservation? Yes. But…he does offer hope that he will help lead with innovative ideas to save this country.

Romney will vote with the Socialists…don’t believe me…check his record in MA./

carolynr

Santorum that is.

annie54

n/t

cbartlett

and it is kind of silly to vote for or against someone based on the fact that they say they can or will repeal it. I really prefer that the candidate that I vote for be pro-life, but I am a lot more concerned about the ones that lie about it. We aren’t getting hardly any POTUS ads here in Texas yet because our primary has been pushed into April, but the AM radio statio that carries Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity & Levin have been playing the VERY pro-choice audio of Romney over and over. It is audio of him speaking just prior to the Mass Governor’s race saying that he is most definitley pro-choice, would continue to work to preserve a woman’s right to choose and wanted to allow minors who couldn’t get parental permission for an abortion to go to a judge to get it! I am definitely not a “single-issue voter” but I want a president that is honest. If he’ll lie about this issue, what makes me think he wouldn’t lie about everything?

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

Pfffft to your stupid name-calling. Meanwhile back in USA … If/when Newt loses Florida, it’s either Romney, Santorum or brokered convention. Slim chance of anyone but Romney, but …

At this point, for conservatives, the best choice that combines conservative principles and electability is Santorum.

Back on planet Earth, it was G W BUSH not santorum who encapsulated …

“the failed, ?moderate? Republican approach ”
the politics of accomodation that gave us Barrack Obama”

… and it is Mitt Romney who represents the continuation of those policies.

Not Santorum, who was against the TARP that Bush pushed and newt and Romney supported, etc.

Expect Romney to accomodate away much of conservative agenda.

Oh, but I will be proved at least a little bit wrong if President Romney does put Santorum in there as HHS Secty. Santorum’s work on welfare and his pro-free-market healthcare policies would be a good antidote to the current HHS, and his prolife views would make leftist heads explode, knowing he will actually work to give catholic hospitals freedom of conscience on the matter.

soothsayer14

If they were, Paul would be running away with the nomination by now.

Sadly, our media has convinced everyone there is a Jihadist around every corner who wants to kill them.

So instead, we get candidates doing Obama-esque proclamations about cutting spending and reducing the deficit and the band plays on.

I think that Romney is our best bet of the candidates with a realistic shot to win it. He at least knows how to read a balance sheet and has a proven record of making money. Can’t say the same for Gingrich and Obama couldn’t run a lemonade stand.

edintexas

Stated in response to Santorum in the last debate. And that attitude is exactly why he can’t beat Obama:

http://spectator.org/archives/2012/01/30/romney-explains-why-he-cant-be/print

salj

Forgiveness is being belittled to keep Gingrich from becoming the nominee.Psalm 103:12 – As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgression from us.

Ann_W

is a little different than leaving two different women because they are not young, pretty, healthy enough. Reagan’s wife asked him for the divorce.

I wouldn’t even have a problem with him asking her for a divorce, it’s that Newt uses women like Kleenex, when they are worn out he throws them away and gets a new one.

And his cheating on wives is another indication of how good his word is.

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

This was to me a sign that Santorum has more scruples and principles than the other 3 candidates put together (all of whom have run low-blow negative attack ads).

Ann_W

It’s hard not to confuse him with Bill Clinton. At least a church group didn’t have to take up a collection to support Chelsea as they had to for a while with Newt’s kids.

cbartlett

McCain refused to take up the fight against Obama and that’s why he lost. If Romney will get as ugly about anti-Obama as he is with anti-Newt, he might have a better chance. Still worried about the Dems ability to exploit the class-envy narrative with Mitt though. Obama and Reid and Debbie whatshername have been setting that up for months now – just waiting to jump on Romney as that evil rich guy – not a difficult thing to do, considering his background. We have just enough uninformed voters out there to fall for it – hook, line and sinker.

Ann_W

I am very pro-life. But IIRC Reagan also changed from being pro abortion to being anti abortion, so I think Romney’s change could be valid.

soothsayer14

I can appreciate an honest bigot.

deVere

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/31/10279965-gingrich-race-will-go-to-june-or-july-unless-romney-drops-out-earlier

carolynr

“The problem that sticks in the craw, therefore, is whether he will constantly prioritize political machinations over ideological motivations of constitutional conservatives now involved in politics.”

Romney has proven…in modern days…not the “I changed my mind, years ago” garbage that he will say and do anything to get the vote of the particular state irregardless of a previous stance. I am talking about policies…not personal matters. That is what should take priority at this particular time.

What was it that Perry said…if you want to see how a man will govern…look at his past record. My question…Why are there ANY votes for Romney…and why TPM have you people not opened your mouths?

trickamsterdam

We’re not sipping the wrong drink, you probably just don’t know how one works. It means no one got 50% of the delegates.

That basically means Romney’s campaign collapsed. He won’t emerge as the nominee in a brokered convention. After the first ballot the delegates are released, and can do what they want…so it won’t be Newt or Santorum either (unless they made some sort of weird deal together).

The candidate is likely to be someone who can satisfy conservatives (have principles) and centrists (be electable).

A possible front-runner would be Paul Ryan…he’s a legitimate bridge between the Tea Party and the Establishment. I can’t see any way that Newt or Santorum could outright win the nomination, and obviously Paul can’t. But all their delegates together may deny Romney that 50%..

Believe me, a brokered convention is our only shot to avoid Romney.

Please anyone reading this, educate yourselves on what a brokered convention actually is before you reject the idea…I think some of you think they’re going to pick a liberal…about the most liberal person who would be considered would be Chris Christie.

All the other names: Daniels, Jindal, Ryan, Rubio, Thune etc.

carolynr

We were fed this crap back in 2008 that we had to elect a more “moderate” candidate to capture the presidency. Reasoning…the Independents would vote for him. Well…how did that turn out…we got a Marxist running the government along with a bunch of greedy freeloaders.

Here we are 2012…same argument…running against the Marxist and people have the audacity to believe they have to “think about it”???

Independents…want more of the same…better consider a different path or we wind up with more of the same. Seem redundant…it is.

Tbone

1. Only registered Republicans can participate.

2. No caucuses that can be manipulated.

3. Those states that went Republican in the last presidential election or were lost by less than 4% go first. They get divided into 4 regional subgroups with the region with the largest total number of electoral votes going first with each of the remaining 3 regions voting in descending order of EC votes won following on two week intervals.

4. Then the rest of the states can vote whenever, who cares.

This method would assure that REAL Republicans living in states that REALLY matter to an eventual Republican nominee get to pick the nominee. Not a bunch of Iowa hicks, New Hampshire liberals, squirrely South Carolinians and transplanted New York/Florida liberals.

Tbone

that it can’t be trusted to even have a primary.

ceili_dancer

It was the abortion issue not the gay issue.

The point is that Mitt is not pro choice or pro life. He is pro Mitt, that is it. Political stances are are a multiple choice for hmi and it dep[ends on who he is talking to and what he’s running for and THAT is what his long held and solid beliefs are.

soothsayer14

Romney has flip flopped on a lot of issues.

So has Gingrich.

Right now I think the fundamental issue this election is going to be the economy, and on that issue Romney is the stronger candidate. That is why he has my support.

Is he my first choice? No.

Do I think he has a better chance than Newt of beating Obama? Yes.

lizzie

by Steve McCann
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/the_republican_establishments_strategic_blunder.html

a few excerpts:
“…The current Republican nominating process has further exposed the true nature of the Establishment and their self-centered concerns.

It has been apparent for over a year that Mitt Romney has been chosen to be the next Republican nominee for president. He is next in line and has the track record and inclination to slow down but not reverse the downward spiral in which the nation finds itself; but above all to fall in line with what is expected of a Republican insider. Perhaps coincidentally, he has spent many millions of dollars hiring consultants and beltway pros, and has the fundraising capacity and personal wealth to keep on employing them. Thus he is the ideal candidate of the Establishment.

However a major problem has arisen. The machinations utilized in the past (with the exception of Ronald Reagan who was not the Establishment’s choice) to maneuver the primary voters into choosing the previously anointed Mitt Romney has now come out in the open as the awakened silent majority is no longer willing to be fooled or taken for granted.

There are six primary methods of eliminating potential challengers with the tacit cooperation of the mainstream media, and they have been in full display this primary season. They are to portray unacceptable candidates as:

?hypocrites in sexual matters (Herman Cain); or
?unstable (Michelle Bachmann); or
?ignorant and incoherent (Rick Perry); or
?a religious fanatic (Rick Santorum); or
?just plain weird and from another planet (Ron Paul); or
?dangerous and unelectable (Newt Gingrich).
Sarah Palin would have been placed in all of those boxes had she decided to run, as well as anyone else deemed not acceptable to the elites.

However, the collective and coordinated vitriol and false or misleading accusations against Newt Gingrich by virtually all in the Establishment, led by the so-called conservative media, is unprecedented. Twice he has arisen, after being vilified and shunted aside, to challenge Mitt Romney and perhaps win the nomination; but the fact that he has been successful in fighting for conservative ideals but in an unorthodox and often contentious, and at times unreliable, fashion has the Establishment in near hysterics. All the other challengers were easily eliminated or made irrelevant, as they did not have the money or experience of knowing how the game is played, but Newt refused to just slink away. Never has the Republican Establishment trained its guns on any one candidate in such an unbridled and unrestrained way.

Perhaps Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum or Ron Paul are not the right candidates to face Barack Obama, but that decision should be up to the voters. While it maybe the role of the conservative pundit class to proffer their opinions of the various candidates, it is not the role of the overall Establishment to so marginalize candidates that there appears to be only one viable alternative.

The Establishment could not have made a more strategic blunder. They will, in all likelihood, succeed in securing the nomination for Mitt Romney, but the damage they have inflicted upon themselves is approaching irreversible. The public now sees the length to which the Establishment will go to make certain their hand-picked candidate is chosen regardless of the dire circumstances facing the nation. …”

[btw, Bill Clinton would win this election in a heartbeat. Half of registered democrats (fiscal conservatives and anyone over 50 who is not rich) have been thrown into the garbage by Obama-Pelosi's liberal rump.
> 51% of American voters are Fed Up! with this rigged game that was once thought to be democracy.

imo, The ghost of Alf Landon is far more electable than Romney, who is the incarnation of EVERYTHING wrong with the past eleven years of failed presidents.]

lapert

Yeah we should have nominated Romney in 2008 and stuck it to that establishment, let’s not fall for that again and nominate Romney in 2012. Oh wait…

It seems there is just some small subsection that has to see themselves as anti-establishment even if that means being for Romney one year and seeing him as the enemy the next. Ah well, wannabe hippies I suppose.

Fight the Power

soothsayer14

Romney won’t pick Sarah Palin as a running mate

Imagine the difference if we would have had Romney talking economics during the 2008 market meltdown.

Instead McCain suspended his campaign and looked like a fool.

Not to mention the totallly inept campaign McCain won from start to finish and the fact that the public was disgusted about 8 years of GWB and caught up in the novelty of our first Black president.

Apples and oranges.

soothsayer14

That reply was supposed to to the post above yours. Not sure why it didn’t.

soothsayer14

That reply was supposed to go to the post above yours. Not sure why it didn’t.

acat

He’s being too … nice.

Mew

runner12

Thanks for sharing!

http://www.timothy-bladel.com/ center77

the only way he does not go on is because one or two things happen, he runs out of money, and the other is there is an effort by the conservative blogs to force him to make a choice between helping Romney or helping conservatives.

I think Santorum could do himself some good by dropping out, and endorsing Newt; at least he could then make some people forgive the Specter endorsement. I think this is what he should do, because it does not look like he is going to win any more states.

carolynr

nt

formotioncreative

I remember the show clearly but not exactly who, probably a senator, maybe McCain but not sure. The Senator reminded O’Reilly about having contacted him in 2003 (maybe 04?) in regard to the eminent crisis. O’Reilly very contritely apologized to him for ignoring the message and failing to report the emergency. O’Reilly failed the public. I believe this is why his more recent confrontation with Barney Frank was so exceptionally heated. It’s O’Reilly’s own admitted guilt on the matter that’s stirring him up.

If someone here is good at searching old Fox footage, the initial warning would be, as I say, sometime around when the bottom was falling out and everyone, including journalists, were watching their 401k’s implode.

This is all I could find, but it’s just a general timeline of which most contributors here would already be aware: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMnSp4qEXNM

soothsayer14

That Romney was not able to govern with a strong conservative agenda in Massachusettes?

Do you mean the state that gave us John Kerry and Ted Kennedy was not responsive to strong conservatism??

Romney couldn’t get conservative bills passed through a legislature that was 85% Democrat????

I can’t for the life of me understand why!

http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

meow

conservative_dan

“It?s like we?re facing Jimmy Carter and nominating Alf.” Though Alf would probably be stronger than what we’re running now!

Melody Warbington (rwm52)

then so am I. For the record, I’m not a single issues voter, but Newt and Santorum have my support over Romney. I did not support Huckabee last time around, either.

You may be right about repealing Roe, and the POTUS can’t do much more than use the bully pulpit to voice support for the unborn. However, being a realist doesn’t mean one should give in to the status quo without trying to effect change.

If Mittens has come around to the pro life position, good for him. However, he has done nothing to show that his conversion is real or that he would govern any differently than he did in MA other than give lip service.

A little suggested reading via Erick here.

littlehouse18

Especially with Erick pouring salt into them for so long.

It seems that folks who did not want Romney (legitimately) out of concern regarding his previous liberal positions, have gotten so attached to their opposition that they are willing to ignore the great faults of any candidate opposing him. How Newt is so vastly superior to Romney is beyond me, when they have both held liberal positions in the past, and Newt has such a capricious temperament. I guess it’s just because his name is not Romney. The anti-Romney rhetoric by some borders on palpable hatred, and I don’t understand it.

I’m not a Romney supporter, my choice was Perry, but if Santorum bows out I will have to go with Romney as the one with the best temperament of those remaining by far, and the only one with a (slim) chance to defeat Obama. His chances are now slimmer because of the pounding he has taken in the conservative media, which has given Obama so much ammunition. Newt provides the ammunition on his own.

Santorum should not bow out. He is the best left in terms of positions and character, and I find his personal life inspiring. To those who criticize his endorsement of Specter, he has explained that it was because of Specter’s powerful position on the Judiciary committee. That was crucial to getting conservative SCOTUS nominees approved. Twomey would not have been able to accomplish this critical task. I give him a break on that,

Maybe Santorum can rise above the fray and be the last one standing.

aesthete

is pretty outside the mainstream.

carolynr

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/cbo-taxes-will-shoot-more-30-percent-over-next-2-years

The Obama chickens have come home to roost…TARP, bailouts, Stimulus, etc. etc. etc.

soothsayer14

for the seemingly inexplainable, blind Romney opposition in my mind is the fact he is a Mormon.

I have gone back and forth with enough Romney haters on exactly what you mentioned: What exactly makes Gingrich so much better?

Usually these people tend to be Evangelicals from the South, and quite a few, with a little baiting, will go on great tirades about all of the things Mormon’s supposedly believe that they find unacceptable.

Scroll further up this comment thread and you will see a woman who said she is opposing Romney on “Spiritual Reasons” and when asked if that meant because he was Mormon she did not deny it but instead made a snide comment confirming it.

Unfortunate to see in this day and age.

carolynr

and what was the argument to nominate McCain…we had to get the Independent vote.

No…lapert…I am not a hippie…I just want the America back that once was…not the corrupt machine the pols have forced upon us.

If I wanted to…I can’t even go back into business…because of idiot Obama. Do I think it would be different with Romney…NO because they have the same ideology…and apparently…according to your post…there are one heck of a lot of us “hippies” out there…because we are looking for the non-Romney…and I include EE in this.

soothsayer14

For those.

That is 3 out of how many that served with him? two hundred and what?

soothsayer14

that opposing abortion even in the case of rape is extreme, but most reasonable people disagree, even most pro-lifers.

And as the other individual says, that is not even considering his stance on birth control.

Don’t feel bad though, very few extremists consider themselves to be extreme.

Melody Warbington (rwm52)

definition of extremist upthread.

As for being against contraception and the morning after pill, isn’t that position consistent with Santorum’s beliefs vis a vis the Catholic church? Does that make the Catholic church’s position extreme? And I ask sincerely because I have no in depth knowledge of the Catholic position.

Regardless, I too am against forms of contraception that abort the fertilized egg as well as morning after pills.

lapert

What is it that it ‘once was’? When was it not run by corrupt political machines?

In any case, you do need the independent vote to win – that is the mathematical reality. But you missed the point, was Romney a different person in 2008? What is different today that he is unacceptable when four years ago he was the ‘non-McCain’? And really, there aren’t a whole lot of you out there looking for a non-Romney, there are many individuals looking for their own best candidate but the myth of some Romney/non-Romney divide is the province of a small number of over-emotional internet folk and the bloggers/journalist who play to them as their audience.

I don’t know what business it is that you were in but why don’t you take responsibility for yourself – I’m willing to bet that it isn’t Obama that is keeping you out but your own deficiencies. It is easy to blame politicians, but most every thing of consequence happens way below the machinations of federal politics. Really, that was such a wannabe hippie thing to say.

aesthete

but most American Catholics don’t support the Catholic Church’s position on the issue.

http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

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http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

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Melody Warbington (rwm52)

than Gingrich. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement in my book, especially when you compare the quality of the endorsements.

I’ll take 1 Allen West over 100 Boehner’s or McCain’s or Murkowski’s any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

trickamsterdam

(I paraphrased your words)

If no one could answer you, then either you’ve been talking to the wrong people, or you didn’t want to listen. I can make it simple:

1. Newt led the second Republican revolution and took back the House after 40 years. He reigned during a time of great peace and prosperity. He had a lifetime ACU rating of 90% during his time in Congress.

2. Romney was a one-term barely right of center governor whose principle achievement was RomneyCare.

This Mormon card playing is tiresome…there are more reasons to hate Romney than a porcupine has quills. And I deliberately use the word “hate” not “dislike”.

Republicans are tired of being accused of being bigots w/ no evidence. You people are driving people even farther away from Romney.

But then again, you also said this in a post on this thread:

“People aren’t interested in reality. If they were, Paul would be running away with the nomination by now.” – Soothsayer

So you’ll forgive me if I assume you’re a lunatic (gold standard, Iran w/ nukes, putting a Congress w/ a 15% approval rating in charge of the monetary policy, has nothing to do w/ “reality”. Or do you want to farm the Moon too?)

acat

Mew

acat

Mew

angryguy77

You might be called “ignorant” and “immature” by some mods here at RS for holding that opinion. You will take mitt no matter what and you will like it, then you will come here and see Neil and the rest bitch and moan about how left he is.

soothsayer14

Was regarding a lot of people I have talked to. I didn’t say every person who opposed Romney did it simply because he was a Mormon.

When people say Romneycare is the biggest reason they won’t vote for Romney I ask them even though he says he will issue 50 waivers for the states to opt out, then work on repealing it?

They then invariably say he is lying. Then you ask them about Gingrich and his support for an individual mandate and they say oh that’s different. You talk about Gingrich’s reign as Speaker of the House as a good thing when virtually everyone who worked with him then won’t support him.

Then he resigns in disgrace amid a slew of ethics violations and is reprimanded by 85% of his GOP colleagues, goes on to lobby for big pharma and Fannie Mae, supporting carbon taxes and cap and trade and pushing enviornmental agendas with Nancy Pelosi.

Romney was a one time Republican governor in the most liberal state in the union. He also has a proven track record of success in business and stepped in and saved the SLC olympics from dismal failure.

As for your attempt at a Ron Paul smear, if the gold standard and auditing the Fed are bad things why is your boy Gingrich trying to woo Ron Paul voters by supporting the ideas? Are they bad ideas which means Gingrich is just pandering and lying? Or are they good ideas which then supports my comment you referenced?

Not to mention my comment was in response to a post about the budget and debt and why Ron Paul is the only candidate talking about substantial, specific budget cuts.

soothsayer14

I think working as a politican and lobbyist boost your economic credentials much more than years of experience and success in the private sector.

soothsayer14

The Romney haters have flocked to everyone but Romney.

First it was Michelle Bachmann until people confirmed she was insane. Then we moved onto Rick Perry until people found out his debating skills made George Bush look like Christopher Hitchens in comparison. Then they moved onto Herman Cain till it found out he took fidelity lessons from Bill Clinton. Then they moved onto Gingrich, dumped him, flirted with Santorum for a bit and now moved back to Gingrich. A man with a past full of lies, indisretions and abhorrent personal behavior. A man who has changed positions on as many issues as Romney, including the one most commonly used against Romney: health care and the individual mandate.

We are at a point where a large section of Evangelical family values voters are supporting a man who has cheated on 2 wives and divorced them for younger better looking women when they were ill. These are the moral high ground folks who pride themselves on their piousness.

And people still sit and say with a straight face that Romney’s religion has nothing to do with their opposition. Even though many Evangelical churches openly consider Mormonism to be a cult and do not even attempt to hide it.

Riiiiight.

snowshooze

)(
— (^^^^ **)
M ^^M

snowshooze

Oh well.

runner12

to Romney. Could it be his supporters are poor messengers? You just managed to attack every candidate but the one that you support. That will not win any converts to your side.

Even worse, when people legitimately critique Romney you play the old “they hate Mormons” card. That is a position of weakness, as is the whole “but he governed in a liberal state.”

The Romney supporters need to work on their talking points. They are weak and will not work to convince others to support their guy.

lineholder

has far more to do with Romney’s lack of support than his religion does.

mikelindell2

Think you missed my point. Reagan wasn’t a businessman, but businesses felt comfortable with.him clearly. It has to do with your policies not as much your background. Would businesses feel comfortable with Corzine or Soros as president?

mikelindell2

LOL. I take it you like romney, soothsayer. So why don’t you like Obama? you must be racist

soothsayer14

as blunt analysis designed to point out the ridiculous nature of the opposition to Romney many people have.

The blantant evidence of it is there is a segment of people who did not support Romney in 2008. This is why Romney didn’t win the nomination then. This is the anti-Mormon vote.

Now in this election process, that group is still active. Also included in the Romney opposition now is the Limbaugh dittohead talk radio subclass.

Amazingly, the talk radio subclass was pushing Romney on everyone in 2008 as the true conservative alternative to McCain, but were thwarted by the same Evangelical opposition to Romney that is keeping him from walking away with the nomination this time.

So there are 2 groups of people opposed to Romney. People who refuse to accept him because of his faith and people who get their marching orders from Limbaugh, Levin, Hannity and the like.

Either way, it is time to accept the fact that the Republican nominee and the next President of the United States is going to be Willard Mitt Romney.

acat

Mew

lineholder

I’m not an anti-Mormon bigot. Neither am I a member of what you call the “dittohead talk radio subclass”.

I am someone who can differentiate between moderate and conservative positions that a candidate might hold, particularly as it pertains to fiscal issues. I’m someone who understands enough about the socialized health care model and has studied the many “unintended consequences” that have taken place in other countries to know that our nation would be better of seeking free-market options than it would be to fall in with the latest “progressive” fad movement supporting socialized health care programs such as Romneycare and Obamacare.

I’ve got my reasons for not supporting Romney…valid, legitimate reasons. A lot of us have valid reasons for not supporting the man.

Implying that we’re all bigots and calling us “dittohead” because we don’t automatically kow-tow in support of the man doesn’t endear Romney to us. Quite the opposite.

runner12

Now you claim that everyone who is not for Romney is

A.) against him because he is Mormon

Or

B). A mind-numbed robot who takes their marching orders from talk radio.

Painting groups of people who disagree with you with a broad brush is a Leftist form of attack. It is not a Conservative one. You may have let your mask slip a little there.

I am beginning to think that you are either a moby or a troll. No Romney supporter would use these arguments to try and convince people to support their guy. At least, not in the way you have phrased them. Your points are too canned, too regurgitated.

soothsayer14

Like proposing a multi hundred billion dollar moon colony project?

Or are you talking about the rock solid conservative position of supporting carbon taxes?

Ethanol subsidies?

Let’s for the sake of convenience ignore the fact that Gingrich supperted an individual mandate on health care!!!!

Your BS might be believeable if your poster child was someone other than Newt effing Gingrich.

Let me guess, you supported that other bastion of fiscal conservatism, Mike Huckabee in 2008.

lineholder

I didn’t say word one about any candidate other than Romney and you go off on a spiel about Newt?

Why is it so hard for you to accept that people do have legitimate and valid complaints against Romney? Is it just that you don’t know how to defend him? Or is it that his actions were indefensible???

avagreen

But, the race…(oops!) the religion card is hard to resist when that’s the majority of all they can come up with.

soothsayer14

The point is, for a certain portion of the anti-Romney crowd (not everyone) there is no convincing people to support my candidate! They cannot be convinced!

They oppose him because of Romney care, dismissing what he says about not wanting it at a Federal level while criticizing him for not passing vague free market health care solutions through a state like Massachusetts and their 85% liberal democrat legislator.

But then say, Gingrich is the guy, he didn’t really mean it when he supported individual mandates for years, not to mention his public admirations of the single payer model.

They bash him for making Bain Capital money by restructuring failed companies by using Obama-esque attacks on capitalism and I am the one using leftist tactics??

The point of this is not so much to bash Gingrich as it is to point out how ridiculous it is to base this support of Gingrich as a reasonable alternative to Romney. The guy has flip flopped just as much if not more. The differences between the 2 is one of them is actually a good person and a successful business man and the other one is a serial adulterer and a disgraced politician and former lobbyist.

Melody Warbington (rwm52)

about Ron Paul as well. Take it for what it’s worth.

soothsayer14

Santorum?

Good, he is going to play well in a general election. Obama just has to trot out some rape survivors and let them tell how traumatized they are and Santorum can explain to them how he would force them to carry the consequences of that terrible act for 9 months. Right after he bans birth control and forces all the gays back in the closet.

Sounds like a winning 2012 strategy to me.

soothsayer14

Got it.

Melody Warbington (rwm52)

…

soothsayer14

Listen, getting a little heated and going over the top a bit.

I can accept that people have legitimate concerns about Romney other than his faith.

I do too. I think it is actually kind of sad this is the best the GOP can come up with.

I just care so much about stopping Obama and his destructive agenda and I do not see any of the others still in the race being able to beat him.

You arent bigots, people disagree in politics, sorry if my rants offended you. Hopefully we can all come together around our eventual nominee, whoever it is and beat Obama.

acat

I decline.

I don’t support Romney in the primary because I do not think he’ll be the best candidate in the general.

This has nothing to do with his religion or “attacks from the left” regarding Bain. Attacks, I’ll note, that Romney needs better answers for than he’s given so far.

The problem is, Romney’s a milquetoast.

Mew

aesthete

I’m sure that I’ve done the same at some point in the past, and I’m far from a fan.

lineholder

his position where socialized health care is concerned. And I do mean nothing. I didn’t dismiss it out of hand when he vowed to repeal it, although I said at the time that given his proclivity to support these types of “progressive” positions in the past, I found it difficult to believe he would follow through with it.

Then, during that last debate, he more or less proved what I suspected to be true…that his partiality to a socialized health care model still exists, and that he would go out of his way to defend it and justify it (which is exactly what he did during the debate!!) He specifically stated that he “knows what Obama did wrong in implementing O-care”. He’s also stated in the past that he would rather “repeal the bad and keep the good”. That doesn’t sound like someone who will be pursuing repeal of O-care with conviction and determination to me. Does it to you???

Good person or not, if he isn’t up to the challenge of taking a fiscally-conservative approach for at least the next four years, defining a bold course of action to alter the trajectory we’re on, and able to win over the American people to support this course of action….he isn’t what we need right now.

lineholder

We have to. Regardless of who wins the nomination, we have to succeed in that much at least.

soothsayer14

That sticking to Romneycare was his only hope. Coming out and saying it was all a big mistake and it was wrong would probably be the flip flop that finally sinks him for good.

If the things are true about the system in MA, that it is supported by a 3-1 margin, then what is wrong with it? He says it isn’t a one size fits all plan and he wouldn’t implement it at a Federal level, and that states should be free to work on their own plans.

I would rather deal with the Romneycare issue than what the other candidates bring to the table in the form of baggage for no other reason than electability.

I have heard people say they would rather run Gingrich and lose than have Romney be the president. I could not disagree more.

Juggernaut

Santorum did what he had to do and fortunately his child is getting better but there is no double standard. Santorum hasn’t grown his base nor has he raised enough money to prove he can survive. Erick told us about the Evangelical meeting in Texas, yet no real money has surfaced so it looks like they too have decided Santorum can’t sustain a long campaign. This could change but where’s the beet?

http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

A key-discipline lacking in many candidate-advocates is the capacity to accommodate contrary-data.

For example, this [previously] pro-Perry blogger didn’t appreciate his attacks on capitalism and [previously] pro-Newt blogger doesn’t appreciate UN-Kosher robo-calls.

Having read the blogs on three “active” POTUS-oriented sites…

http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/01/31/what-im-looking-for-in-florida-tonight/#comment-167705

http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/01/31/moving-past-florida/#comment-167607

http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/01/31/the-fat-lady-hasnt-sung-but-shes-warming-up/

…it is necessary to place the current situation into a context that allows for a healthy evolution of events to transpire.

I have begun to note the problematic pundits, but we must differentiate them from those who act based upon sincere-input. For example, it may be recalled that I spent an overnight-experience promoting the possibility of DeMint following the “Oops!” event; this gambit was ignored, but the concept was implanted. And, surely, this was a transparent effort…which, sadly, is rare among the current crop of talking-heads.

Let’s be clear: BHO must be defeated, and Mitt has alienated the base.

What remedies exist, lest a 3rd Party initiative undermine reasonableness?

A deal that might motivate the base–TEA [Taxed Enough Already] Party Movement & Evangelicals–could be modeled by the RR choice of Dick Schweiker in ’76 [reversing points on the political spectrum], although RR was criticized for having done so. The Veep position is not comparable to expectoration, and it could reflect a behavioral commitment comparable to how The Newt has absorbed Perry/Cain by coadopting their themes [10th Amendment-implementation & economy/tax-focus].

Some might view this as hollow; others might fear that this designee might be ignored as was Sarah. But few can deny the potential for this approach to motivate the party to [1]–heal, and [2]–send a go-forward message that integrates true-conservatism.

I am not motivated to pontificate simply to try to convince people of my rectitude, nor am I attempting to push a hidden-agenda. But there must be an action-plan [a working-hypothesis, if you will] if we are going to face realities and save the USA from another term of a newly-”validated” BHO.

I recoil @ the tactics of the GOP-Establishment, and I abhor how the MSM/LSM/ELM [Establiishment-Leaning Media] has coadopted this conduct. Sadly, FNC has been complicit, most recently a few hours ago when Rich Lawry attacked The Newt for his [negative] reaction to a knowingly-incorrect smear…instead of attacking the smear itself. And that Elliot Abrams hit-piece was effective in unnerving The Newt last Thursday [pre-debate] in conjunction with a coordinated attack, notwithstanding its having been debunked the next day.

Such orchestration may prove [short-term] effective [and seemingly validate the machinations of seasoned politicos], but they alienate [long-term] effectiveness [and undoubtedly repel sincere activists]. The fact that the TPM has produced a battle-hardened regiment is thereby upended by those who should be functioning as [grateful] colleagues.

We are Constitutional-Conservatives [encompassing all three legs of the tripod], but we are besmirched; even RS-bloggers who gloat serve only to alienate. When Rush announces Mitt isn’t a true-conservative and Santorum is known to be a pro-labor earmarker who has espoused strong social-views that would predictably alienate “independents,” is this sizable chunk of the party to be forced [as will occur in VA] to vote for a neo-isolationist who has published racist/anti-Semitic pamphlets?

Today’s WSJ piece by McGurn advised that Mitt should coadopt positive qualities in the campaigns of his rivals, but his speech [unlike that of The Newt, in SC] didn’t strike this theme. We can pine for Perry, we can identify with anguish/anger exhibited by The Newt, we can even recall the poise of Michele…but these neither alleviate angst nor inform the message that Mitt appears to be ignoring.

That Mitt has appeared to go out of his way to rebuff the TPM despite the achievements in 2008, this is unconscionable and unwise; he cannot reasonably claim that such an association [even if merely a gesture] would boomerang. One blogger yesterday suggested that he would be accused of pandering were he to associate with these people; this is the ultimate rationalization of those who would deny [and deny themselves of] the potency of these committed people.

I’ve received e-mail from a cadre of “groupies” who have read my postings @ RS, and they send a message of surprised rejection by the aggregated forces that ignored/ridiculed Perry and are now trained on The Newt. I try to be encouraging, but the wisdom of his departure from the race [only a fortnight ago!] must be questioned. Yes, The Newt won SC, but this was @ the cost of losing a strong voice, one that Mitt feared the most, one that also had to raise worriment-levels @ 1600.

My suggestion, simply, is that Toomey be ID’ed by Mitt as his putative running-mate. This would bring PA into “play” and would unify the GOP. He is a true-conservative, and he gained respect for how he conducted himself as a member of the Super-Committee. Unless someone else has a better idea, such an innovation might provide an impetus for a go-forward presentation to a hungry-public to be conveyed ASAP, short-circuiting the reality-show debates @ #19.

carolynr

btw…as far as business…there were no deficiences. I, like many other Americans cannot go back into business because the regulations that are required and those regulations make it impossible to make a profit because of all the Federal fees attached to them.

Everything has gone up….or don’t you drive a car…that’s just one example.

As far as taking responsibility for myself…I pay for this government…I am not one of those people who free load. That is what Conservatism is about. Furthermore…no more replies to you.

trickamsterdam

What you actually said that I quoted was:

?People aren?t interested in reality. If they were, Paul would be running away with the nomination by now.? ? Soothsayer

Dismissing the fact that Rep Paul is totally unelectable in the General and that anyone who doesn’t consider his many controversial positions deal-breakers divorced from reality, is yes..pretty nutty.

BTW, because I’m libertarian-leaning and balancing the budget is my main issue (other than SC Justices), I’m more sympathetic to Paul than 90% of the people here. But he’s unelectable. That in itself is an issue w/him that I can’t get over.

Speaking of which, you also said this;

“Either way, it is time to accept the fact that the Republican nominee and the next President of the United States is going to be Willard Mitt Romney.” – Soothsayer

I just feel bad for you people. You really have no clue how truly unelctable he is do you? So you’ll never see it coming until it’s already far too late. Do you know his negative rating is already up to 49% (higher than Pres Obama’s)? That’s with Newt’s limited resources and 75% of the conservative press being opposed to Newt.

Don’t you know w/ a billion dollars and 75% of the MSM Axelrod/Obama are going to be able to make Romney look like a one-armed monkey trying to peel a banana? That he just made another gaffe today? That they’re going to define him as a Wall St parasite and an almost parody of an out of touch country club 1% type Republican?

And yes, start a whispering campaign about Mormonism too. But that will likely affect independents more than hard-core conservatives.

I myself intend to vote for him, although it’s true I won’t give him a nickel and I usually give at least a few hundred. Sorry, but after Florida I just can’t stand him.. And he obviously doesn’t care if people can stand him….99% of his ads in FL (in the final week) were attacking Newt, not praising his own ideas.

So if it was more important to make him to make people hate Newt than to like him, he has to live w/ that long-term result. Less volunteers, less donations, far less enthusiasm..

Finally, you dismissed my differences between Newt and Romney, but they were facts:

1. Newt led the second Republican revolution and took back the House after 40 years. He reigned during a time of great peace and prosperity. He had a lifetime ACU rating of 90% during his time in Congress.

2. Romney was a one-term barely right of center governor whose principle achievement was RomneyCare.

Again, no intellectually honest person could deny what I wrote there. So I answered your question. Don’t say again that no one ever did it.

BTW, Newt’s unelectable too, but w/ Newt you go out w/ your boots on…

Newt = The Alamo

Romney = The Bataan Death March

I’ll take the glory and quickness of the Alamo, over the slowness and horror of the March. Or we could have a Brokered Convention w/ Paul Ryan on the top of the ticket and actually win this thing. No, why would we do that…that would be “radical” and we’re “conservatives”.

Better to “play the Roman fools and fall on our swords”. Out of respect for tradition. It makes me sick. Fortunately, unoriginal people like you, Romney, and Jennifer Rubin have drained my energy to the point where I actually don’t care very much.

I only hope that Amendment can be repealed so King Obama can rule for the rest of my lifetime w/ his nine black-robed high priests. Because he will give me things and I will be happy. He told me so & I believe him..

BROKERED.CONVENTION.NOW.OR.OBAMA.AGAIN.SOON.

RS

EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Moving Past Florida

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