Look out, GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney could be on the verge of losing two Republican primaries in the space of a single week. And if he does, his once steady march toward the Republican nomination could be abruptly halted, leaving the GOP race unexpectedly up for grabs.
A final tally of the balloting from the Iowa caucuses held on January 3 appears to show that Rick Santorum, not Romney, won that contest, by as much as 40 votes, not the 8-vote margin originally reported for Romney. Romney used his surprise Iowa win as a springboard to a commanding victory in New Hampshire on January 11. No non-incumbent GOP presidential candidate has ever won the first two GOP primaries, which seemed to confirm Romney's growing momentum.
Meanwhile, polls in South Carolina show Newt Gingrich surging fast, reversing the large double-digit lead Romney enjoyed in the Palmetto State only several days ago. Gingrich's attacks on Romney's private sector experience may not be convincing many voters, but his rabble-rousing debate performance two nights ago, and Romney's rather shaky one, appears to be yielding huge dividends in a state whose primary has long been considered the GOP's bellwether contest.
In fact, while two South Carolina primary polls still have Gingrich trailing by 10 points, three new polls released just today show Gingrich ahead of Romney by 3-5 points. And the very latest national poll also shows Gingrich trailing Romney by just by 3 points, which means the two men are in a statistical dead heat.
And that's not all. Romney suffered another blow Thursday morning when Texas governor Rick Perry dropped out of the race -- then turned around and heartily endorsed Gingrich. That endorsement came on the heels of a statement by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin that if she were a South Carolina voter, she would cast her ballot for Gingrich. Those endorsements, plus tonight's final South Carolina debate, are likely to add substantially to Newt's growing momentum.
A confirmed loss by Romney in Iowa, however small, and a come-from-behind Gingrich victory in South Carolina on Saturday, could completely alter the narrative of the GOP race, which in recent days had suggested that Romney's was becoming all-but-invincible. Now, it appears, that Romney's as vulnerable as ever, and that Gingrich, though badly bloodied from his rival's Super PAC attacks in Iowa and New Hampshire, has successfully rebounded, using the very same scorched earth tactics on Romney to surge back into contention.
A key factor in the Gingrich rebound was the decision by a prominent Nevada casino owner, Sheldon Adelson, to donate $5 million to Gingrich's Super PAC to wage his South Carolina campaign. Gingrich originally requested $20 million, and he may well get the balance if he scores a big win on Saturday. And if that happens, all bets are off in the next GOP primary in Florida scheduled for January 31.
In Florida, Romney currently holds a 20-point lead over his rivals, and one poll even has Gingrich slipping to third behind Santorum. But these polls, like those conducted earlier in South Carolina, were fielded before Gingrich's latest surge. If Gingrich wins or runs competitively in South Carolina, expect the race in Florida to tighten, too. There are also growing rumors that Palin, who's wildly popular with Republicans in Florida, and who's rallied the faithful there as recently as October, might formally endorse Gingrich before the month is out.
If so, Romney's days as GOP front-runner -- let alone party "heir apparent" -- may well be numbered.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Robert Weissman: We the People
http://www.salon.com/2012/01/19/democrats_got_over_1_million_from_bain/singleton/
Interesting to see how this highly-charged issue plays out in the general election, if Romney still gets the nods.
No wonder Perry referred to Bain/Romney as "vulture" capitalists.
I think he meant it literally?
It turns out that Bain got a significant portion of its original seed capital from the wealthy Salvadoran families that helped spawn the death squads that helped wipe out the popular (non-violent) organizations in that country on the eve of the civil war.
apparently this is ROMNEY'S VERSION OF HISPANIC "OUTREACH"
He gloated over these connections to Hispanic audiences when he ran in 2007 - though he conveniently left out mention of the DeSola family
http://www.salon.com/2012/01/20/the_roots_of_bain_capital_in_el_salvador/
Money held overseas avoids the degree of scrutiny as money in a U.S. account. Most people will perceive it as a tax dodge, especially with Romney's reluctance to release his financial records. The longer he waits just adds to the appearance that he has something to hide, and needs time to tidy up before showing his stuff.
I would denounce and abandon the Dem party if the Dem leaders and candidates became as out of touch with reality or as reprehensible and offensive as the modern Republican party has become.
And I believe that far more Dems would do the same than have Republicans. I believe that Dems have a far larger percentage of rational adult members/supporters than does the Republican party. And I believe that if the Dem party were to go off the rails as the modern Republican party has, the Dem party would very quickly disintegrate.
On the other hand, it seems Republican supporters have grown more entrenched. More out of touch with reality. More hateful, fearful and mean-spirited. More hypocritical. Instead of denouncing the actions of their party leaders, they double down on them and cheer the worst and most egregious of their comments. Instead of becoming an independent and seeking out independent sources of information they hunker down and believe that everything they disagree with is some vast liberal conspiracy.
It's saddening and disheartening that so many Americans are still Republicans, even after the shameful, harmful, irresponsible, incompetent and reprehensible way the Republican party has governed, spoken and lived the past decade.
I could be wrong, does anyone know if the the DNC/RNC has changed any rules about delegates since 2008?
I believe the Republicans saw the new rules as a chance to keep the contest going longer. A lengthy contest worked to the benefit of the Democrats last time around - even with the winner-take-all rules.
One exception: FLORIDA. Owing to its growing importance, the RNC agreed that the primary will remain winner-take-all.
Repub non-Romney voters could even assure it happens. In "winner take all" states, they should unite and vote for the candidate with the fewest primary votes so far. That will assure no one candidate gets more than half, and a brokered convention.
Yes. There's no other explanation for their worldview.
YES
Iowa at least recognizes it's own relative insignificance.
That's what I've thought for the past forty years. It's almost as bad as Kansas.
I don't disagree, but it would be a foolish strategy on their part. They need the poor and middle class to work for them, and they need the same folks to buy from their businesses. Seventy percent of GDP comes from consumer spending. They may not like us, but they still need us.