Well two things happened yesterday in the race for the republican presidential nomination. One, Mitt Romney continued to prove he is loathed by the carnivores on the right side of the party. Two, Newt Gingrich is done.
Gingrich isn't admitting his campaign is doomed. At least he isn't publicly. He is still babbling about the possibility of emerging as the nominee if there is a brokered convention. The problem he has with that sly plan is that it is more than likely he has won his last primary. It stretches credulity to believe the party would hand the nomination to some guy who finished a fading and distant third because it can't choose between Romney and Santorum. No, if it comes down to that sort of apocalyptic choice republicans are going to go with a fresh face all together. They will check the box, none of the above and try to talk Chris Christie into a run. Sarah Palin will probably preen for the spot. However, not even the most brain addled delegate is going to seriously consider the former Alaska governor for anything more important than a first day speech at say 9 AM when there will be as few witnesses as possible.
In his heart of hearts Mr. Gingrich must know he is finished. Of course he has all the morals of a car jacker, so he might be running some sort of scam on Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, who have banked rolled him to this point. Who knows what kind of money laundering operation is at work. Off shore numbered accounts are a distinct possibility. Why not? Stash away a few million from the campaign and when no one is looking hop a Lear jet with Callista to the Caymans and chill out in comfortable retirement. After all it is what Nixon should have done. Unfortunately for the rest of us, like Nixon, Gingrich's ego won't allow for such an unseemly flight. So in the end I'm afraid we're stuck with him. And so is Rick Santorum.
The former senator from Pennsylvania won in Alabama and Mississippi, but the presence of Newton Leroy Gingrich cost him 12 delegates in each state. Those are 24 delegates committed to a hopeless loser and Brother Santorum needed every single one of them.
Romney won in Hawaii, the alleged birthplace of Barak Obama and in American Samoa. His count keeps inching upward. He can't end it quickly, that has been proven. However at this juncture all he needs to do is keep it close. Keep splitting state delegations with Santorum and the early lead he built up will prevail.
Right now the count is Romney 495, Santorum 252, and Gingrich 131. Ron Paul has 48 and ceased to be any sort of factor weeks ago, except perhaps in his own delusional fantasies.
Next up is Puerto Rico and then Illinois. Santorum has all ready admitted that winning a majority of votes in Abe's home state "will be an uphill battle." In other words there aren't that many born again Southern Baptists and Pentecostals in Chicagoland who have innate suspicions about Romney's politics and religion.
It is hard to see how he can catch up, although he doesn't actually need to. He just needs to keep Romney under the 1144 votes it takes to nominate before the convention begins. At that point he will be in a position to offer Gingrich everything, other than the presidency, to get his delegates. God only knows what sort of monstrous bribe it will take, but it will have to be done. It is the nature of the business.
3-14-12
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