This is quite clearly Santorum's time.

[Keystone Phil]

Compare those three speeches, my friends. Mitt was...Mitt. Santorum was serious and real. Meanwhile, Newt goes off on some of the most bizarre rambling ever.

This contest isn't over but Newt's time as the conservative alternative certainly has passed.

[Eraserhead]

Newt's speech was hilarious. The other two were just boring.

[tmthforu94]

Gingrich...rambling? Nonsense!

Agreed - I'm hoping for a Santorum-Romney battle. I really don't want Gingrich to be the nominee. Would be happy with the other 3.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

We can only hope.


Unfortunately, money and dixie will screw you over everytime.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Santorums was great...but Paul is one now, and its pretty good

[BM]

CONGRATULATIONS PHIL!

[useful idiot]

Expecting rationality from the GOP electorate is irrational

[Lincoln Republican]

Yup, it's Rick's time, especially when he has fewer delegates than Ron Paul.

And Paul is in the process of delivering a great speech.  

[Mehmentum]

I think Santorum could have a chance at a comeback.  He's been creeping up in the national polls after some solid debate performances.  If Gingrich collapses nationally, Santorum could rise again.  Even if he doesn't he may be able to regain momentum in Minnesota and the non-binding Missouri primary.

[Reaganfan]

Gingrich...rambling? Nonsense!

Agreed - I'm hoping for a Santorum-Romney battle. I really don't want Gingrich to be the nominee. Would be happy with the other 3.

I was very happy with the Iowa and New Hampshire results, because I'd be content with either Romney or Santorum.

[Keystone Phil]

Alex Castellanos said to watch out for Santorum as the alternative to Romney. 

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

[Хahar 🤔]

Stop being anti-pro-heterosexual!

[Politico]

Unless you are a libertarian who supports Paul, Santorum is the only understandable alternative to Romney.

[Keystone Phil]

The CNN crew is praising Rick, saying to keep an eye on him. He just needs to eliminate Newt as the Anti Romney.

It's amazing. Just a month and a half ago, this man was a "non factor." So proud of all that's been done. So proud.

[Sam Spade]

Believe what you want Phil, but the internal voting patterns of the first four primaries suggest that only Gingrich has a shot at beating Romney (unlikely though), and only if the battle is one-on-one (including us nutty Paul supporters).  Those patterns are unlikely to change very much at this point - if anything they will probably crystalize. 

That doesn't, of course, mean that Santorum can't win a primary/caucus here and there in areas without dominant urban/suburban areas outside the South, Appalachia and Mormon country (there are a few of those states) in a three-way race, or cannot win rural South/Appalachia states if Newt is gone.  However, Mitt will win any three-way race, and would beat Santorum in a two-way race though.

[Lincoln Republican]

CONGRATULATIONS PHIL!

The Winfield legacy lives on.

[King]

If Santorum wants to win the nomination, he's going to have to stop taking Ron Paul's bait and wasting valuable screen time getting in arguments with him over foreign and social policy.  His experience in the Senate makes him the best debater of the four, but it doesn't stand out.  He doesn't act like a contender out there.

Rick needs to keep calm, let Paul do his thing, and then stay positive while Newt and Mitt destroy each other.

[Averroës Nix]

...to drop out.

Not that he hasn't been a more imaginable nominee all along than Gingrich. But he hasn't lined up support from either voters or party actors. He doesn't have the money or the organization to continue as a serious competitor.

I'll agree that his speech was much better than Romney's less-robotic-than-usual talking points and Gingrich's megalomaniacal rant.

[BigSkyBob]

Unless you are a libertarian who supports Paul, Santorum is the only understandable alternative to Romney.

"Understandable" to whom?

You have just profoundly insulted the plurality that voted for Gingrich in South Carolina, and the third of Republicans whom voted for him in Florida.

Aren't you suppose to being trying to get those people aboard on the bandwagon fallacy?

This may not be "understandable" to you, but, there are solid reasons to vote against Romney:

1) He can't win;
2) He isn't conservative;
3) He isn't consistent; and
4) He has conducted a deeply offensive campaign [which is why in large part he can't win.]

[Joe Republic]

This may not be "understandable" to you, but, there are solid reasons to vote against Romney:

1) He can't win;
2) He isn't conservative;
3) He isn't consistent; and
4) He has conducted a deeply offensive campaign [which is why in large part he can't win.]

And yet you're supporting Gingrich, no?

[BigSkyBob]

If Santorum wants to win the nomination, he's going to have to stop taking Ron Paul's bait and wasting valuable screen time getting in arguments with him over foreign and social policy.  His experience in the Senate makes him the best debater of the four, but it doesn't stand out.  He doesn't act like a contender out there.

Rick needs to keep calm, let Paul do his thing, and then stay positive while Newt and Mitt destroy each other.

Yep, the only problem with that theory is that neither man can succeed in destroying the other first, while if they continue to battle closely more and more noncombatants will tend to be drawn into the fray rather than combatants fleeing in disgust. The old "going nuclear" adage just doesn't apply here.  This is full-scale biological warfare consisting mainly of pouring as much poison into the well as possible, obvious to the fact that both sides drink from it.

[BigSkyBob]

This may not be "understandable" to you, but, there are solid reasons to vote against Romney:

1) He can't win;
2) He isn't conservative;
3) He isn't consistent; and
4) He has conducted a deeply offensive campaign [which is why in large part he can't win.]

And yet you're supporting Gingrich, no?

1) Gingrich is volatile enough were he might win, or lose very badly, while Romney is a near certain small-margin loser;
2) I have repeatedly noted my objection to Gringrich is his moderate tendencies, not his mother's medical history, etc;
3) The Gingrich of 2012 is, for better, or worse, remarkably similar in substance to the Gingrich of 1980, or 1994;
4) Gingrich ran a remarkably positive campaign right up to the time the slander machine unleashed upon him.

By the time the election comes to my home state, I will cast a tactical ballot to stop Romney if that is possible, or, if the election is decided one way or the other I will vote for Bella's dad.

[Reaganfan]

I didn't give you permission to use my picture.

[argentarius]

I wish Santorum was the anti-Romney/Paul, I really do. Right now, purely because he's not gaffe prone and has a very good personal life he's looking more electable than Romney/Gingrich.