Romney, Gingrich and Santorum to Speak at CPAC - image florida primary dot come
It is no secret that Mitt Romney and His Super PAC (which he does not control), unleashed attack after attack on Newt Gingrich as soon as he rose in the polls, causing Gingrich’s campaign to fall under the never-ending barrage of advertisements in Iowa, (not to mention robo-calls and emails). It was suggested that Gingrich was done, and Romney went off to win one of his home state’s Nevada, he ignored the fact that Rick Santorum won Iowa. To date, Romney has won three out of the eight contests, with Santorum winning four, and Gingrich one, giving the reality that Romney is no longer the front runner some teeth.
Santorum is a seasoned politician, in the vein of Newt Gingrich or anyone who has spend more than one term in office, and he is, for all intents and purposes, squeaky clean. While in the Senate, he did his job based on the state of Pennsylvania and voted towards what the former industrial powerhouse needed to survive – in other words, he did what he was hired to do by the voters of Pennsylvania. That is what Romney has to use against Rick Santorum – so far. While Romney was Governor of Massachusetts, he did what he thought was best for the populace in the “they can’t take care of themselves, so we’ll just mandate – health care”. Romney was known in Massachusetts as the guy who would do or say anything to keep in the good graces with the most corrupt group of Democrats this side of Chicago – and that involved: being pro-choice, raising taxes, etc. Highly recommended: The Bluest State, a book available on Amazon.com, written by Jon Keller, and outlining the aforementioned like no one else has ever done. Although, the sub-title reads: How Democrats Created the Massachusetts Blueprint for American Political Disaster”, it belies the fact that prominent Massachusetts politicians are mentioned in the book, a real eye-opener. Those in Massachusetts already know the story, but the rest of the nation – not so much.
It is not that Romney is a horrible person, it is that he fights dirty, changes his mind frequently, does what he feels is best politically, which may not be popular with those who employed him, and is a smart guy when it comes to making money. The problem is that Romney is not seen as “the nice guy”, no matter how hard he might be trying, it falls flat. The reality is such that if one does not like a candidate, one will either not vote at all, or vote for – Obama.
Rick Santorum on the other hand is likable, he polls the highest of the four remaining candidates with likability – he also knows his stuff – which is of import and has not changed position for political purposes – he has drive, and passion, and he is able to draw a distinction between Mitt Romney’s attack machine, short, and sweet and to the point.
The Drudge Report Title the link to the National Journal story : “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, the actual article reads: “Energized Santorum Unloads on Romney’s Gotcha Politics” – the video that accompanies the article (shown below) depicts a rather calm Santorum, just laying out the facts – which is why he is resonating with voters - everywhere, including Massachusetts.
No polls have been taken yet, however, Massachusetts is ready for change, it is a palpable “Scott Brown” type of atmosphere, and there will be those that root for the home team guy, (being Romney), but one might note, everyone knows who is running on the Republican side – the coverage is on the 6 and 11 local news, CNN is the station of choice, (and the entire state is not like Amherst and or Cambridge) –it might be a Romney landslide, but it might not. With Santorum organizing in Super Tuesday States and getting teams in place now (in Massachusetts mind you), and he comes in even or one state behind Romney by March 6th, then the race is set for an upset.
CPAC, the Annual Conservative convention will take place this week, and one thing that is certain, according to Eric Erikson of Red State Romney still considers himself (as does the national GOP elite), the front-runner, and hopes to cement this perception with those conservatives attending. That said, Santorum, Gingrich and a host of other “notable” conservatives, will also be speaking – it is understood that Santorum continues to be perceived as a nice guy who might not be able to withstand the Romney onslaught, or raise the funds, and or simply be electable – even though he more than bested Romney is states, particularly Minnesota and Colorado, that were Romney’s before a ballot was cast. It is a perception that has been shattered, and should those at CPAC respond more favorability to Santorum than Romney, these activists may go back to their home state and get on the stump for Rick. Why, because every poll indicates he is more electable than Romney, he is raising money hand over fist, and he is relentless on the campaign trail, while remaining consistent, and he can spar with the best of them, while maintaining his dignity. This is something that this blogger missed, following trends of the GOP and looking for the ABR (Anybody but Romney) given the fact that this blog is from Massachusetts (hint), however, Santorum’s voice, his performances in the debates, both on social issues, but most importantly on economic and national and foreign policy issues, when given the time by the moderators and the media, prove him to be the well-rounded, smart guy, who is both the anti-Romney and the anti-Obama. Lastly it does not matter if he is wearing a sweater vest or a suit jacket – works either way. That’s what happens when you have a candidate that believes in his candidacy, and believes most importantly in the nation and is willing to put himself and his family fortunes on the line – not for accolades, or power, but to fix and correct and work with everyone, for everyone. One has a tendency to believe his speeches, because he is – genuine.
In 2008 CPAC was 24/7 Romney, and it was difficult to watch this unfold, as it is supposed to be, again, a Conservative convection – therefore, this weekend, It will be imperative to check in on CSPAN or CNN to see how the speeches are received, and how well received all the candidates are comparatively. If Santorum is received well, then one will understand there is a new front-runner, both by states won, and by popular demand. Watch CPAC live this morning at 9 on www.c-span.org/Events/GOP-Presidential-Candidates-Address-CPAC.
To correct the continuous erroneous reporting on the delegates that Santorum won in Minnesota and Colorado – they exist and will be awarded in March, just prior to Super Tuesday.
Video title belies Santorum's delivery of the message
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