Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Santorum: Newt 2.0?

Albeit numerically meaningless, there are a couple GOP primaries tonight that could alter the face of the race as we know it. Santorum is poised to take Minnesota and Missouri, boosting his credentials as the conservative go-to for the anyone-but-Romney crowd. He would appear to be the more stable candidate for those seeking a more conservative option to the Romney machine, and could invigorate the electorate as his campaign gains a PR boost tonight with a couple symbolic victories. If the Santorum camp can make use of the success tonight, it could raise doubts about the inevitability of Romney's nomination as well as the point of Gingrich still being in the race. Given that the GOP's biggest problem seems to be an unenthusiastic electorate, maybe a comeback run from the uber-conservative could change the nature of the race and get people interested again. Either way, this would appear to be good news for Republicans, as a drawn-out race would probably be good for their chances, mostly in the publicity it offers, as Obama slowly seems to be winning over some doubters in recent weeks. My guess?: a steel-faced leader of men from New York by way of New Orleans and Tennessee enters the race late, riding off the strength of his heat-seeking laser of an arm and wins in the last quarter of the primaries, as is his wont.




2 comments:

NH Dem said...

Although your Eli comment still stings me to the core, I agree that a string of Santorum victories could help mobilize moderate Republicans and infuse the GOP race with some character (now that we no longer have Herman Cain to entertain us with his pizza ballads). If Santorum were to gain momentum in the race, Republicans nationwide who were previously indifferent might find a sense of urgency. In order to defeat President Obama, the GOP must nominate Romney. Not to knock our buddy, Newt, but in terms of electability, Romney is the best bet. Because come November, a candidate like Santorum, who has been repeatedly cited for intolerance, will struggle to garner widespread support.

TJE said...

Manning-Tuck 2012!