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The Spectacle Blog
Rick Santorum just concluded a Gettysburg, PA press conference in which he suspended his presidential campaign. Santorum called Mitt Romney to concede the race, but rather pointedly did not endorse him by name in his remarks. He did, however, emphasize the importance of beating Barack Obama and electing Republicans on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Santorum said that his daughter Bella’s illness influenced the family’s thinking, but he described his little girl as a “fighter” who is “doing exceptionally well.” Santorum also faced long odds: after his losses last week, he needed to win more than three-fourths of the remaining delegates to secure the nomination himself and his only realistic scenario was an open convention.
Santorum started the race a long shot, but his strategy of camping out in socially conservative Iowa paid off. He survived a disappointing showing in New Hampshire and Newt Gingrich’s South Carolina victory to become the anti-Romney in the race. But Santorum couldn’t close the deal in the big industrial states of Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois and was starting to see his lead erode in Pennsylvania. His more than 3 million votes is a bit less than Mike Huckabee got in 2008, but the primaries were also more front-loaded four years ago.
Rick Santorum did well enough to improve his standing among conservatives, tarnished after the 2006 Senate defeat. He went further with less money and organization than anyone (save Quin Hillyer) could have expected. He was also helped by super PAC money. Although Romney is virtually guaranteed the nomination now, I expect Gingrich and Ron Paul to remain in the race.
View all comments (30) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/04/10/santorum-announces-end-of-camp
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Clint| 4.10.12 @ 3:54PM
We Are Being Set Up By The RINO-CINO Flunkie Stooges For The Ruling Elites' Frontman Mittens Romney.
These Are The RINO-CINO Flunkie Stooges Who Gave Us The Serial Traitor To Conservatism, John McCain Of McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy,McCain-Lieberman,Gang Of 14, Opposing Bush Tax Cuts Of 2001 & 2003,TARP.
Now They Are Trying To Give Us RomneyCare,TARP, Cynical Flip-Flops On Abortion, Gays, Refuses to Sign Pro-Life Pledge, Illegal Immigrants, "Little Chain Saw Al" At Bain, Crony Capitalism Campaign Money Trail.....
spike59| 4.11.12 @ 7:06AM
the Princess of "Cut and Paste Idiocy" strikes again!
Simon Templar| 4.10.12 @ 3:55PM
Congratulations to the negative campaigner, big money, the GOP progressive establishment, their sycophants, the RINO's, and Antle the THIRD.
Onward to the Obama win!
Drek| 4.10.12 @ 4:06PM
I understand the bitterness ------------------------- bitterness I experienced watching Gingrich, with all that he had to offer in ideas, solutions and speeches go down hard because of attacks by Romney, BUT ALSO attacks by those within our own ranks.
Baggage!
What possible meaning and relevance does the very idea of "baggage" have after the election of a guy who changed his name, changed his religion, swanned around with dirtball terrorists and America haters, and sat in the aisles of a raving lunatic like Jeremiah Wright for 20 long years!
The whole idea of ANY conservative having baggage after that is GONE!
GONE!
David Vitter f@@@ed prostitutes?
Who gives a damn!
Who gives a damn after the election of some guy who hates the country, hates the White House, hates having to go through Congress before simply imposing his will and rams through one anti American piece of legislation and policy after another!
Drek| 4.10.12 @ 4:09PM
So my point Simon, after my momentary tearing off on something else, is that we conservatives have accomplished a great deal, though we surely did not accomplish all we desired.
Now we must destroy obama, his agenda, and the whole thing, the whole persona of obama, this shadow like presence that extends across the country, politically, culturally and economically.
And we can do that.
Manipulated polls, manipulated employment numbers, manipulated news coverage notwithstanding!
We can beat this guy!
Simon Templar| 4.10.12 @ 4:55PM
I believe it can be done also. But are we willing to do something different than we all typically do?
Are we willing to fight this with everything we can muster, get out our friends and family to vote, persuade the fence sitters, argue and respond effectively to the smear machine?
This race can not be conducted with business as usual and the conventional wisdom.
Rove needs to shut up. His handlers better have something new, fresh and bold.
The narratives must be controlled and the general public must be educated about the past three years and what he has actually done to harm this nation. Are you going to knock on doors?
Drek| 4.10.12 @ 6:21PM
I knocked on doors in the past.
But I'm sure that the party can find things far more important for me to do.....
MikeN| 4.10.12 @ 3:56PM
His strategy of camping out in Iowa paid off only because all the other contenders failed.
Drek| 4.10.12 @ 4:01PM
What strategy in Iowa did he have other than allowing more prominent, more successful, more accomplished men, like Perry and Gingrich, to absorb saturation strikes, while he stealthly moved forward.
That's hardly a strategy.
That's opportunism.
He offered nothing unique, he had no particular skill sets unique to him, no unique vantage that others in the field lacked.
He shouldn't have run in the first place.
Molly| 4.10.12 @ 3:58PM
Maybe we should send a thank you note to Newt!
Drek| 4.10.12 @ 3:59PM
Santorum out!
Robert Stacy McCain hardest hit!
Will Not Vote For Rmoney| 4.10.12 @ 4:54PM
Rmoney in!
Conservatism & America hardest hit!
Drek| 4.10.12 @ 5:57PM
So we have to make his administration, his personnel selections, his policies, his proposals, MORE CONSERVATIVE than he would otherwise desire on his own.
If we watch him like a hawk, if we make our ire felt, if we make it clear to him that he's going to get away with nothing, that we will not allow him to become an idiotic failure like the GW administration, THEN we can make this Romney administration enormously successful.
It's still up to us to bring the heat.
Send a message to the Romney team, send it right up there high and tight, and make it clear that we're watching them and their personnel appointments like a hawk.
Bill| 4.10.12 @ 4:03PM
God bless Santorum. He waged a spirited campaign for liberty and the limited government.
Drek| 4.10.12 @ 4:12PM
To the extend that he helped focus the party on the underlying threat to liberty from this thing that is obama and all he represents ---------- good.
He helped demonstrate the momentous drama of this race, of the stakes involved, the enormity of the battle ahead.
Which means he's helped focus the mind, the spirit, of the party.
And that's an important thing.
Bill| 4.10.12 @ 4:10PM
Romney's VP list:
1. Pat Toomey
Pros: PA is a swing state, former Club for Growth leader.
2. Marco Rubio
Pros: FL is a swing state, the Latino votes.
Cons: DREAM Act
3. Mitch Daniel
Pros: a great "fiscal conservative", signed the "Right-to-Work" law.
4. Kelly Ayotte
Pros: The women votes.
5. Chris Christie
Pros: NJ will turn red, a "Ronald Reagan Clone."
6. Paul Ryan
Pros: WI will turn red,a fiscal hawk legislator.
7. Bob McDonald
Pros: a fiscal and social conservative, southern heritage.
8. Pam Bondi
Pros: "photogenic" AG of FL, the women votes, and chief litigator of the multi-state lawsuit against Obamacare.
Cons: 46, yet Single-lady
8. Ken Cuccinalli
Pros: Another crusader against Obamacare
Cons: he's running for VA governor in 2013
9. Jeb Bush
Pros: FL will be red, the Latino votes
Cons: Bush clone
10. Ron Johnson
Pros: WI will turn red, private sector experience, Tea Partier
Cons: WI politics depends on this summer recall election orchestrated by the union thugs
11. Bobby Jindal
Pros: a "Reaganite" southern governor
Cons: declined to be the VP
12. Allen West
Pros: African-American conservative
Cons: Redistricting dismantled his old house district, prompting him to run into a newly drawn district, and it gets tougher for him ultimately.
My pick: Gov. Chris Christie
Obama will be forced to campaign in a "safe" blue state, NJ, while Gov. Christie will be favorite to deliver NJ for GOP. Gov. Christie will help fix the economy and never surrender to the big-labors or bureaucrats. He vetoed the same-sex marriage bill. Recently, he traveled Israel and vowed to thwart Iran's fascist regime and its nuclear threat.
President: Mitt Romney
VP: Chris Christie
hrh| 4.10.12 @ 4:42PM
1. Why are you spamming this long involved comment on every blog post?
2. Your pick = NE RINO/NE RINO
3. How, pray tell, do you expect the other 3/4 of the country to vote for this parochial and ideologically liberal ticket?
4. Let me guess: You're a NE RINO.
5. Full disclosure: I'm from CT. And I will not for Romney. Or Christie. Both of them represent me as much as Obama does.
Will Not Vote For Rmoney| 4.10.12 @ 4:58PM
BINGO! Spot on hrh.
spike59| 4.11.12 @ 7:07AM
"BINGO! Spot on hrh."
=======================
ahhhh...'spot on', the mandatory tag of a PuffHo zombie
Mender| 4.11.12 @ 2:18AM
Snap. I think it should be Michelle Bachmann-a proven conservative with plenty of experience.
Will Not Vote For Rmoney| 4.10.12 @ 4:57PM
Bill, Rmoney's ideal V.P. pick should be Wile E. Coyote. Rmoney will need an ACME Presidential Election Kit to win.
Mender| 4.11.12 @ 2:17AM
Wile E. Coyote's certainly got a record of success...
Traditional Conservative| 4.10.12 @ 5:00PM
That leaves Ron Paul. Yes!
spike59| 4.11.12 @ 7:09AM
That leaves Ron Paul. Yes!
=====================
by "That", i assume you mean the entire GOP primary process???? indeed-it HAS left RonPaul...in the parking lot, mumbling to himself about 'bohemian grove' and 'black helicopters'
Tim| 4.10.12 @ 5:42PM
Should be a hell of a fight this November.
Neither character gives a hoot about Individual freedom rather they both are of a "Collective" mind set.
Big Gov Rep Vs. Big Gov Socialist.
OK OK at least Romney did cheer for the USA in the Olympics...I will give him that much and that since Obama is so bad for the Nation I will vote for Romney but I just don't think he can win
regardless of his VP selection.
Things would have to get really bad and Obama Care would have to be upheld by the Court for Romney to win...IMHO
Steve Harvey Suits | 4.10.12 @ 8:48PM
I feel so defeated after learning of Rick's decision. I can't believe we are about to live through four more years of Obama!
spike59| 4.11.12 @ 7:10AM
yeah...like (self)Righteous Ricky ever had a shot
get real
gray horizon| 4.11.12 @ 1:52AM
So I guess this means.....Augusta National will now have to admit women.
It's a Mittens and Obozo World.