The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Romney Leads by 21 Points in S.C.?

Posted on | January 14, 2012 | 89 Comments

Carolina RINOs?

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has opened a wide lead over his rivals in the South Carolina primary election race, trouncing Newt Gingrich and gaining momentum in his march toward the party’s nomination, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows. . . .
The poll showed 37 percent of South Carolina Republican voters back Romney. Congressman Ron Paul and former Senator Rick Santorum tied for second place with 16 percent support.
Gingrich, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, has fallen far back after holding a strong lead in South Carolina in December. He was in fourth place at 12 percent in the Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Do not despair, conservatives! There is good news here, too:

After Gingrich, Texas Governor Rick Perry placed next in the Reuters/Ipsos poll with 6 percent support. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who was third in the New Hampshire primary, came in the lowest in the South Carolina poll with 3 percent support.

Perry and Huntsman have less than 10 percent between them and if they finish that low, they’re finished. Subtract them from the field, and there’s that much less distraction going into Florida. And still more good news:

At a forum hosted by Mike Huckabee with 800 undecided South Carolina Republicans, Newt Gingrich was loudly booed when he criticized Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital, according to a Republican who attended the closed-press event.

To quote Allahpundit: “Oh my.”

If Newt’s getting booed, so that his fade continues, that benefits . . .?

Yeah: Rick Santorum, fresh off his endorsement by the social conservative conclave. There are two debates this week — Monday on Fox and Thursday on CNN — and therefore a chance that Romney can say something stupid enough to cost him 10 points. And never underestimate the sweater vest. There is still hope to stop Romney, and therefore . . .

Exit Question: Why is it that so many conservatives who have said their top priority is to stop Romney at all costs don’t support Rick Santorum?

Update (Smitty): linked by Surber.

Category: Election 2012, Mitt Romney, Polls, Rick Santorum, South Carolina

Comments

89 Responses to “Romney Leads by 21 Points in S.C.?”

  1. Lisa Graas
    January 15th, 2012 @ 2:41 am

    I wouldn’t do that in a million years. It’s risking the platform. 

  2. Lisa Graas
    January 15th, 2012 @ 2:43 am

    Because he published a racist newsletter? I mean, that’s just me but then, I’m a Republican.

  3. Lisa Graas
    January 15th, 2012 @ 2:44 am

    Not to mention St. Peter at the pearly gates. He won’t be scratching his head over that like everyone else seems to.

  4. Lisa Graas
    January 15th, 2012 @ 2:45 am

    If it’s Obama vs Paul, I’m moving to New Zealand.

  5. Lisa Graas
    January 15th, 2012 @ 2:46 am

    There’s Paul Zummo with his facts again.

  6. Anonymous
    January 15th, 2012 @ 3:18 am

    But he has a sweater vest…

  7. Rbirchtree
    January 15th, 2012 @ 4:45 am

    Hey now!
         Jim Demint is endorsing Ron Paul tomorrow. This race is between Mitt Romney and Ron Paul…and Ron Paul is barely hanging on. Newt, Jon and Rick Perry are barely viable. They will be turning in their concession speeches soon. 

    Lets be pragmatic…the average voter wants to vote for a ‘winner’.(Why? Because people like winning over people with principles.) That means the votes go to Mitt, even if he is unprincipled.  So Ron Paul…anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? (He’s a righteous dude!)

  8. Rbirchtree
    January 15th, 2012 @ 5:22 am

    Cough….cough…Bush. ‘Nough said.

    Ron Paul 2012

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    January 15th, 2012 @ 5:29 am

    […] THE OTHER McCAIN: Romney Leads by 21 Points in S.C.? […]

  10. ThePaganTemple
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:38 am

    You’re right, nothing like that happened before Roe v Wade. That’s because the federal government wasn’t involved in abortion before then, on any level. Now they are, and they need to get out of it just like they need to get out of a lot of things. They don’t need to be involved in abortion, pro or con. I’ll stand by that from now on. After all, its not like we don’t have a mountain of evidence that the federal government fucks up everything it involves itself with.

  11. ThePaganTemple
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:46 am

    No, I’m not weak-minded, but I am hot-headed enough that they’re a big part of the reason I’ll never vote for Mitt Romney. I get so sick of them shilling for him I can’t, sorry. But that’s not even the point. You said it’s “silly” to consider Romney as being establishment or anointed by the elite.

    My point is all you have to do is listen to Fox News on any given day. You don’t have to watch it to “excess”. I damn sure don’t. An hour or two is all it takes. I promise you that you won’t have to wait too long to hear the constant dispersal and regurgitation of RNC talking points, and of course since they are “Fair And Balanced” (ROFLMFAO) you will also get the DNC talking points as well.

    And once you hear those talking points, it becomes patently clear who the favored establishment GOP candidate is-

    OF BOTH PARTIES!!!

  12. ThePaganTemple
    January 15th, 2012 @ 7:04 am

    It’s PTSD from seeing this shit happen time and time again with RINOs like Romney wanting to reach across the aisle to get things done to the American people. Not necessarily just with judicial appointments but also legislatively. I see nothing irrational about it.

    We’ve had one Republican who made decent judicial appointments on average in the last seventy years. One. And his name was George W. Bush.  And he even almost fucked up with the Harriet Myers debacle.

    Even Reagan made shitty fucking appointments, with the exception of Scalia. The only other good ones was Thomas by Bush Sr., and one by Nixon.

    The rest of them? Sorry, but where Democrats have a history of appointing liberal progressives, Republicans on balance have a history of appointing moderates who aren’t really that much better than the liberals when you stop to think about it. Not on a lot of issues anyway.

    And there’s absolutely no reason to believe for one second that Romney would appoint anything but moderates.

    And bear in mind this is my most important issue. More important than the economy. More important than national security. Actually to be blunt I don’t give much of a fuck about anything else, other than the debt and deficit. 

    Unfortunately the odds are that we are going to nominate Romney. And the odds are I’m going to be staying home on election day.

  13. ThePaganTemple
    January 15th, 2012 @ 7:42 am

    It’s sustainable by pure force of arms and terror alone, and if it weren’t for Ronald Reagan the USSR would more than likely still be with us today. Reagan and a handful of foreign allies put an end to them. No thanks to the ignorant Ron Paul.

  14. ThePaganTemple
    January 15th, 2012 @ 7:50 am

    Yeah its easy for people to get on their high horse, I guarantee you if they had a beloved family member impregnated as a result of a brutal rape they’d at least think twice about it. If they had any fucking compassion they would anyway. This hardcore stubbornness on this issue is what actually keeps anything from getting done, and its both sides.

    We’re going to get to the point that there’s going to be a movement for two different and competing constitutional amendments, one being a pro-life amendment, and one being a pro-choice amendment. When push comes to shove, my money is on the pro-choice amendment, and that’s where my vote will go too.

    And that’s really a fucking shame, because actually, believe  it or not, I’m more pro-life in sentiment. But goddammit you have to be reasonable and most of these pro-life people just throw reason completely out the window when it comes to what should be recognized as sensible exceptions, even compassionate ones. I just can’t ever support that.

  15. Lisa Graas
    January 15th, 2012 @ 8:27 am

    The Pagan Temple apparently thinks it’s better for society to pass out “rights’ to people based on majority opinion instead of saying they came to us from God when we were created. Hmmm. Mob rule or God? I think I pick God.

  16. Anonymous
    January 15th, 2012 @ 9:54 am

    Geez, you are so on the money with this one.    All the bellyaching about Romney, but they trash Santorum with more fervor, and then wonder what happened?

    Sometimes, the liberals don’t have to lift a finger at all … the damage is usually done by the general.

    (What were the chants after the McCain loss/debacle?  “Never again.” yeah, right).

  17. Anonymous
    January 15th, 2012 @ 9:57 am

    Total crap.  Santorum wasn’t the godfather to Obamacare and doesn’t believe in this “hands across the 
    aisle” nonsense like Romney does.
    Romney doesn’t even want to say bad things about Obama. How does that square with “Santorum being like Romney?”  Santorum not afraid to take hits unlike Romney.

    Sounds more like Erickson propaganda.

  18. Romney Winning in Online Poll of South Carolina Voters? « Catholic Bandita
    January 15th, 2012 @ 10:05 am

    […] Stacy McCain has a big headline about the “poll”, albeit with a question mark at the end: Romney Leads by 21 Points in S.C.? […]

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    […] Reach Is As Good As A Mile Posted on January 15, 2012 7:50 am by Bill Quick Romney Leads by 21 Points in S.C.? : The Other McCain Exit Question: Why is it that so many conservatives who have said their top priority is to stop […]

  20. Pathfinder's wife
    January 15th, 2012 @ 11:29 am

    I think there is a point to pointing out where legislating morality is only a bandaid (and a rather sorry one at that) over what generally ills society.

    The feds should get out of the abortion issue — to poach from Thomas Sowell, the smaller community is the best judge of what the locals want, so keeping legislation as localized as possible usually serves the people better.  Abortion is by its nature a very individual thing, no matter what the folks at PP or the pro-life people say.  At the very least we should kick the legality of the issue back to as localized a status as possible in order to serve the will of the people better.  They will probably best decide what is right for them.

    Besides, it would take away the framework of funding, which will in turn recalibrate how individuals in society function in regards to the consequences, which will likely create an environment where abortion becomes more rare.  It takes more time, but is a surer method than just passing out decrees one way or the other, no?

  21. Tennwriter
    January 15th, 2012 @ 12:01 pm

    Adjoran,
    You’re a smart guy.  Pretty knowledgeable about politics too.  This is just lame.

    How ’bout, should we put up a sincere Conservative or a RINO?  We need a small gov’t conservative like Santorum instead of Mittens.

    And the answer to the second question is obviously: Both.

  22. AngelaTC
    January 15th, 2012 @ 12:11 pm

    DeMint isn’t endorsing anybody yet.  It’s State Senator Tom Davis that will be endorsing Paul.   

  23. ThePaganTemple
    January 15th, 2012 @ 1:04 pm

    No I don’t believe in mob rule, but I do believe we need a majority of conservative Supreme Court Justices. If we get that, then that will take care of Roe v Wade. It will be overturned and the feds completely out of the abortion issue as they should be, pro or con.

    As for majority rule, what happens if the majority makes it clear they would prefer a Pro-Choice Constitutional Amendment over a Pro-Life one? If those Amendments end up looking on paper like I’m pretty sure they’ll both look like, it will just be putting the American people in the position of having to choose between two extremes. Maybe they’ll choose one, or maybe they’ll choose neither one. Why go down that road?

    There was nothing whatsoever wrong with the way things were before Roe.

  24. Bob Belvedere
    January 15th, 2012 @ 5:58 pm

    Let us not forget John Paul The Great and Maggie Thatcher!

  25. Bob Belvedere
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:12 pm

    On the appointment of judges in the Bay State: No, the Legistaluture does not nominates a few that the Governor must choose from.  

    Article IX of The Constitution Of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts reads, in part: All judicial officers…shall be nominated and appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the council….

    So Willard is responsible.

  26. ThePaganTemple
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:14 pm

    Those two are who I were referring to in part when I said a handful of foreign allies, though I guess technically speaking it might be going a bit far to call John Paul an ally. Also, the Polish guy.  Sorry, sometimes I’m bad with names.

  27. Quartermaster
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:22 pm

    The sweater vest is critically important here.

    With the choices we have we get a Big Gov Conservative or we get Paul. I’d vote for Santorum, but not for Mittens. I’d have to wear a Scott Airpack to vote for Mittens, but just hold my nose for Santorum.

  28. Anonymous
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:25 pm

    We do what we need to do. We definitely do not want four more years of Obama. Even Romney is better than that. But let’s hope for the best.

  29. Quartermaster
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:27 pm

    I blame the candidates for the problem of the VA ballot. It’s never been a problem before and they whine this time around because they can’t put an operation together with enough competence to get them on the ballot? They don’t deserve to be on the ballot, methinks.

    Still, if I were in VA, I’d vote Paul in the primary too.

    If Romney wins the nod, and names Paul as his running mate, it won’t affect me. I’ll not be marking anything for Prez again.

  30. Quartermaster
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:32 pm

    I doubt it could have been maintained by force of arms or terror even. The internal contradictions would have eventually destroyed without us doing much other than remaining strong.

    Only the NORKs and Cuba remain. The rest have gone the Fascist road. Cuba is dying, and the Chinks are all that stand between the NORKs and oblivion.

  31. Quartermaster
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:33 pm

    unPC, but not racist. The fact that they were unPC is enough for the left to blow completely out of proportion given their tendency to make raaaacists out of anyone that dares to tell the truth.

  32. Quartermaster
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:37 pm

    If it’s an amendment, unless you are a member of the legislature or the convention called by the state, you won’t get a vote.

    Your position is also quite contradictory. I don’t expect you see it, and I’m not going to try to convince you against you will. I’ve already seen that you’re pretty much immune to reason. I guess it’s that diet of honkers you like so much.

  33. Quartermaster
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:41 pm

    I think your hope for SCOTUS is wildly misplaced. The lot on there now are a bunch of statists themselves. The bets are that the Obamunist health care legislation will be upheld, and some of our so-called conservatives are very likely to vote in favor.

    So far, they have ignored the constitution as much as the leftists have. That includes Thomas and Scalia as well.

  34. Quartermaster
    January 15th, 2012 @ 6:42 pm

    His help for Snarlin’ Arlen haunted him, and that’s why he lost with the margin he did. The surprise is that it wasn’t larger.

  35. Mike F.
    January 15th, 2012 @ 7:00 pm

    Let’s just say I don’t want to live under it for the decades necessary to prove it isn’t.

  36. ThePaganTemple
    January 15th, 2012 @ 7:27 pm

    If you’re talking about getting rid of Roe the Supreme Court is the best chance there is. I don’t see a constitutional amendment as being very likely, to put it lightly. There just isn’t enough people that want to see either a Pro-Choice or a Pro-Life Amendment. And yes, I know its the legislatures that vote on that, but how likely is it they are going to sway too far from the prevailing sentiment of their populations?

    Can you honestly see traditional swing states like Ohio or Florida going along with the kind of Pro-Life Amendment language the Pro-Life crowd would demand? It’s just not going to happen any more than you’re going to see the Mississippi legislature endorse a Pro-Choice amendment.

    Moreover, even in the unlikely event one or the other passed, its shelf life would probably be just a little bit longer than the 18th Amendment. To put it bluntly, the issue would be far from settled law in all but name.

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