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Subscribe to RSSPOWELL, TN -- The morning after a narrow popular-vote loss to Mitt Romney in his rival's home state of Michigan, Rick Santorum painted the outcome as a draw and predicted a strong performance in next week's Super Tuesday contests.
"We actually won half the congressional districts so we are going to walk out of Michigan with 15 delegates and he's going to walk out of Michigan with 15 delegates," he told an audience of around 1000 supporters at a Baptist church outside of Knoxville.
"We have a lot of wind at our back heading here to Tennessee and we are going to be taking it all across these Super Tuesday states and we're going to have a great day a week from yesterday!" he added.
The actual delegate count is not yet finalized, according to NBC News. By the network's count, each candidate has accumulated 13 delegates in Michigan, with the final calculations in some congressional districts still to be completed.
Speaking to reporters after the rally, Santorum called the outcome "a huge win for us" and dismissed a reporter's question about his loss to Romney among Catholic voters in last night's Michigan exit polls.
"You want to talk about one segment of the population?" he said, smiling and rolling his eyes. "Come on... This is a huge win for us. Let's play it the way it is. Don't give Romney all the spin!"
Santorum argued that Romney -- who outspent his opponents by a wide margin in his home state -- won the popular vote because of a heavy advantage only in Oakland County, the Detroit suburb where Romney grew up.
"We went into Michigan -- I don't know if you guys are listening -- we went into Michigan and we were able to pull off the impossible!" he told the press.
The Pennsylvania senator's top political adviser, John Brabender, underscored the point on a conference call held during Santorum's address to the church audience.
"Michigan is a lot different than when you went to bed last night," he said. "A tie can only be seen as a disaster for Mitt Romney."
Conference calls to brief the press are a rarity for the Santorum campaign, which is anxious to maintain the narrative that their candidate is still threatening Romney's front-runner status. While reporters asked about other topics, Brabender and national communications director Hogan Gidley were quick to keep the attention on the Michigan outcome.
"We're also trying to avoid another Iowa," Gidley said, referring to the Hawkeye State's caucus results that showed a Santorum victory after a weeks-long recount.
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Santorum's got a point. If they split the delegates, isn't this a tie?
I'm still waiting for someone in little Ricky's camp to answer the question I posed earlier today.
WHAT were the names of the women who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Men wearing wigs don't count... lol
with two more primaries completed romney has increased his lead in the delegate count which is probably what matters most from the tuesday results.
The conservative vote is so undecided that yes, it is a tie.
Basically your front runners are Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. If I were a conservative voter, or swing voter, I'd look at my choices like this; You have a moderate conservative in Romney, this represents about half the conservative vote or less. This in turn excludes those very conservative voters which in my opinion he will end up losing. Romney has positives in that he's a business man, and with business knowledge you gain support from those who seek to gain something or believe that he will boost overall business in the economy. On the other hand, you have Santorum, who is very very much to the right. His social beliefs swing so far right that he gains support from those with the same beliefs but shuns those closer to the middle. This will of course turn away the other half that might support him.
This whole race will come down to a few points to either Santorum or Romney. My pick? I think Romney squeaks by with a small margin of victory based on his early lead in the polls.
Feisty, He must have been meant Benjamina Franklin, Thomasina Jefferson and Franchesca Lighfoot Lee.
Would Sally Hemmings be considered a "Sister of the Revolution"?
Good one Lisa - thanks for the giggle!☺
Don't ask me, ask little Ricky - he was the one who said it...
Get lost
beachbum12safecracker!Your incessent bleating of things you know nothing about grows tiresome!
There were women of influence in those days. Read John and Abigail Adams' letters to one another for instance. Abigail encouraged John to "Remember the ladies." She let her husband know exactly how she felt about issues of the day, and it did influence his actions. See Mercy Otis Warren, who pushed first for liberty from Great Britain through her writing, and later for a bill of rights to be part of the Constitution. She definitely had the ear of Washington, and she certainly influenced his thinking. Although no woman could vote or hold office in those days, there are certainly examples of women who were smart and strong willed, and knew how to use their intellectual powers to play an important role in the founding of this nation.
The saving grace in this situation is that Romney is apparently running low on money. The longer this goes on the more money the candidates will have to spend. The upside is maybe Romney will have to dig into his own pockets for once.
Hey, 'old gal'- this 'safecracker' deal reminds me, whatever happended to that 'chuck-u-farley' hosebag?
And my fave- Juven Bachan?
And speaking of oldies- I see 'Me First Bill' on here earlier today thinking the trade balances of the US, China and India must have been the exact same as during the last recession, too. Sheesh, I neet to get on here more often- 'specially with all the fun being provided by the RWNJ's!
Romney does have pretty deep pockets. Is there a limit on spending your own money on your campaign?
Hiya Buzzy!
Chuck reincarnated himself and now goes by Damaged Goods 123...
The men with the butterfly nets finally caught up to him, he was scaring the children...
You mean Mr. Nacho Cheese? ;o) He wrapped his steaming pile up in a day-glow orange ribbon this morning, much like the color of the current weeper of the house...
Come on in the waters fine...
BTW: Your malt shop tramp hasn't been the same since you left! ☺
Drive by,
Glad you stopped by. Love the bit of history...
I'm pretty sure I agree with Santorum on this. They pulled off the impossible. It's impossible to imagine that any woman in her right mind would vote for that ignoramus. It's impossible to believe that any Christian who understands the admonitions of the Bible relative to hubris would vote for him. It's impossible to believe that anyone who grasps the definition of "Washington insider" would vote for him. It's impossible to believe that anyone who opposes earmarks - Yo, Teabaggers, 'sup Dudes?- would vote for this pork-barreler.
Vote G.O.P. - Suicide by Republican.
Sorry, Wayne: I didn't notice you had already posted about Mrs. Adams.
unfortunately, beachbum is more or less correct - that IS the way things were in 1776. Women were little more than property - barefoot, broke and pregnant. That's HISTORY (I didn't say that I liked it, just that it was HISTORY)
Tell you what, kids- work keeps me waaay too busy (WHAT? Libbies WORK?? Who Knew?) to get on here very often, but I do get to read quite a bit from time to time. Y'all are doing a great job keeping the trolls stirred up. Oh, wait- that's not you guys doing that- it's their own party- silly me.
Malt-shop Mata Hari and that one 'lawyer' dude from out west seem to be MIA a lot more lately, too.
And yes, Feisty- I would have guessed 'damaged' was the chuckster, too.
But you gotta love the RWNJ fixation on the First Read site. Seems they just can't live without it. It's almost as though they recognize a quality product when they see it, huh? (well, in political blog sites that is- maybe not so much in dickweeds, assh*les, and other assorted dumb-asses that want to be at the head of the table of 'big gubmint!).
Newday, Abigail is well known, but Mercey Otis Warren deserves to be at least as well known as she is. I read a fine biography on her a couple of years ago.
I'll get a book on her Wayne. I have not read about her. Thanks for the information.
DBO: Have we missed YOU! The DDI is not the same.
That question was asked by Santorum, beachbum, perhaps you could take it up with him.
Too bad PA is not tied in to super Tuesday.
We have a lot of wind at our back
That is called GAS, and it is caused by INDIGESTION...His is probably from eating so much CROW lately...More to come. He is also having a bad case of diarrhea of the mouth.
Again numbnuts, what part of this DO YOU not understand?
And you can not take a hint WHY?
Sorry the next Santorum mistake just flew over my head. Really "women who signed the Declaration of Independence"?
I am not sure I am buying the new women appeal though.
To all female republican voters, are you aware that the entire republican party have declared war on you? All of the other women know what they are trying to do, and are fighting back. The war against abortion was bad enough, but now with this new piece of legislation the republicans are trying to push through says employers can refuse to cover any medical need that goes against their religious or moral standard. They say it only covers contreceptives, but they are leaving it so open-ended that it will cover everything. Ladies, the republican party is trying to strip you of all your rights, and by continue voting for them says that you approve of what they are doing. I watched an interview msnbc did with an Arab woman, she said American women are stupid, over here we have no rights, and American women are walking around with signs protesting rights they don't want. Ladies, if you want to be like her and have no rights, keep voting republican.
Hard to argue that point, though I am sure that Mittens will try. If each has half, that would be a draw in my opinion. The real question is this: how is it that Mitt spent all that money, in one of the states that he claims should be his by right of favorite son, and come THIS close to losing?
And what happens if he loses in Ohio?
NewDay---I thought Mitt's plea for money at the close of his "acceptance" speech last night seemed a little crass. Especially from someone with so much personal wealth. Hey Mitt---the market is over 13000---you must have a little more net worth you could put in, thanks to President Obama.
Given the amount of money that Romney has, I agree, pretty crass.
So, is this a win/lose situation or a lose/win situation? If so who is the win/lose and who is the lose/win?
Phinephancy-- You said a couple weeks ago that you were not going to like it if people on this site started bashing Mormons and ridiculing the religion. Now that it is going to be a regular thing here on this site, do you plan to say anything to the people that are doing it?
what can he/she do anyway? I personally don't CARE (atheist) but I've said that Willard LOSES the teavangelical vote outright BECAUSE they won't vote for what they consider to be a "heathen mormon". That's a major portion of the existing RETHUG power base. Of course, my objection to Willard is because he's a VULTURE CAPITALIST. Take a company, chop it up, sell off what you don't want and then watch the rest of it DIE
NDD,
The interesting fact is the mention of the Michigan exit polls, that showed Catholics voting for Romney not Sanorum.
Ricky had no reply...
I saw that Northstar. It may dawn slowly and inexorably on Ricky that Catholic women use contraceptives too!
NDD,
I owuld like to see what percentage of women voters in Michigan primary voted for Santorum.
new day - but it is dawning too late. He has soured that whole constituency for whoever the Republican nominee is.Unless it was Ron Paul. Ron Paul has come out stating support for contraceptives - the only one who has.
I heard last night that Romney won Catholics; as Lawrence O'Donnell pointed out, Santorum's attack on JFK played a role as well as his contraceptives are evil nonsense.
The problem for Ron Paul is all the other stuff. He has also waffled on some of his previous pro-choice stands. While his anti-war stance, the isolationist approach, the leave us alone idea makes sense, when one really looks at his ideology--it's extreme. The idea that private businesses can "police" themselves and do what is right is nonsense. Paul believes private business should not be forced to provide service to anyone they don't want to--in other words, the Woolworth lunch counters in the South would still not serve blacks or anyone can refuse service to gays or nonChristians. For that reason, most voters simply cannot and will not vote for Ron Paul. Purist ideology is always doomed to fail; we need only look at the USSR and communism to understand that however noble the sound of something is (no, I do not think communism is noble or even good), the ideology itself is full of pitfalls that will undermine and make it unworkable. There is also no pure democracy in the world. Successful countries are mixes of ideology. Ron Paul doesn't get that.
Really beachbum? Then perhaps you are unaware that Abigail Adams was given credit for shaping the new government too. And was responsible for her husband's attitude toward women and their opportunities in the new world. The letter..."remember the ladies."
Katherine: Ron Paul is antichoice. He is not a reasonable candidate for President, and has no chance to be elected.
newday - I do not think Ron Paul will be nominated.
But the other Republican candidates had better pay attention that Ron Paul is doing better with women than men now. Why? Because he changed his stance on contraceptives.
The Republican candidates just don't get that all women use contraceptives and do not want to go backwards on women's rights.
Katherine: When did Paul come out in support of contraceptives? I had not seen that?
Newday,
Kath is right, he did it very publically during the last debate.
He equated distribution and use of Contraceptives, (the principle supporting) with the same arguments used to support the distribution and use of Firearms.
The only problem with the pill is a persons intended use of them, like firearms, guns don't kill people criminals do, pills do not create bad behaviors (wanton sexual activity) people do.... The only problem surrounding the pill is what ladies do with them.
Take that in context of his being an OB/GYN and advocating the responsibile use of contraceptives can only be taken one way. He supports their use and distribution, done responsibly, and they actually lower the need for abortions.
This is what he said in the debate. One could probably argue his intent, and he probably could have used a better supporting argument, but clearly, he supports contraception as a first choice rather than an unwanted pregnancy which leads to unwanted abortions which he does not support.
From the rousing cheers from the audience, and the shocked. stunned silence from the other candidates, he drove the point home...
Egilman I missed the last debate do you know if this is on You Tube?
YouTube video of Ron Paul on Birth Control. Judge for yourself.
Other videos and research on abortion and birth control for Ron Paul.
takingmiddleground,
Thank you for the Link, It's dated (nothing past march of 2010) but it does cover him well.
Most of the coverage is over Abortion, very very little (almost nothing) about Contraception/Birth Control, they are two separate issues you do know.
It's clear that there isn't any link to this info on their home page, so without the Direct link I would never have found it.
Again thank you...
Egilman,
I thought they were 2 separate issues myself until the Personhood Bills started to come out which put emergency contraception which Planned Parenthood defines as IUD (Merana) and Plan B under the same category as abortion. Reguardless the one link is showing that Ron Paul is ok with emergency contraception.
As far as the information being dated, it is what I could find.
You think Rick Santorum is regretting he didn't get on the ballot in Virginia?
Rick Santorum is another one-hit wonder. Romney has the money, establishment backing, momentum and organization to beat Santorum's brains in. Yet Mitt can't seem to shake any of his conservative challengers, of which Santo is just the last one standing. Conservatives hate Mitt's guts and will do whatever it takes to see him go down in flames, even if that means nominating Rick Santorum for what is essentially a suicide mission against the president this fall.
I am hoping for Santorum to win the nomination, then when President Obama creams him in November perhaps the extreme right wing that refuses to compromise about anything gets thrown to the dust bin of history.
Go Rick Go
there was a significant attempt to influence DEMS to vote for frothy santorum in Michigan. It sort of worked and remains a scenario for torpedoing ricky pricky's boat - or at the very least of supplying harassing fire
Santorum: If a tie's good enough for Dubyah Bush, then it's good enough for me!
In the warped mind of Santorum, a loss becomes a tie, and a tie becomes a win. OK, I get it. My Reds actually won the World Series last year.
No, they didn't. My Cardinals did. Go Redbirds!
lisa,
i do not think Santorum thought he would stiil be in standing.
He lives in Virginia, like Gingrich. it would of been easy to get on the ballot last fall, but he didn't . Maybe lack of moeny or staff/volunteers?
At least Gingrch and Perry made a half hearted attempt.
NorthstarDFL. I agree with you. He probably didn't think he would still be standing. I did write a response to your earlier question. Have a great day.
When will the media ask Mitt and Santorum their take on the rising gas prices.
I am curious to how they will handle the question. It may give voters an idea about how they really care of the ecomony and the American people.
I for one DO believe something right now, can be done to bring the gas prices! It is all about greed, profit, and control! - all the other BS we hear from the media is just that! BS.
These days politics are more harmful to Americans than guns and nuclear bombs - but unfortunely the people in these positions - can't see their destructive faces in the mirror...
98% of Americans will suffer and/or die - because the Republicans and Democrats want to play the game - who has more control.
Americas politicians are shameful and evil - I look at Cantor - I really believe he's the DEVIL - fueling the fire!!!
TRUTH - not CRAP
Thank you and GOD BLESS AMERICA
One would have thought that Romney, with all his advantages, would have done much better in Michigan. He should have took Santorum to the cleaners early on and slaughtered him in the Michigan primary. Mitt did better in Arizona, for crying out loud. Of course the spinmaesters are going to spin this in Mitts favor but, although he did win it was not a win that was nearly as big as one would have expected. On to Super Tuesday and we'll see what happens.
Where are all the Dr. Paul supporters whining about how their guy is going to get all those delegates and that the media is picking on the poor old Doc.? I kind of miss their rants and whines. (come to think of it I really don't miss them at all)
Romney's problem in Michigan, in my opinion, he took it for granted and by the time he realized it, it was almost too late, that and "let Detroit go Bankrupt".
One in ten were democrats voting in Michigan...total of 968,148 ballots cast in a state of 7.3 million registered voters taking into account most democrats did not vote, a dismal turn-out. If half the state is republican then 26% of the voters showed up this number gets smaller when taking in to account the 10% were democrats voting.Other interesting numbers are that 33% voted on the ABO ticket while four in ten approved of the auto bail-out. I don't see the enthusiasm for any of these candidates or their policies.
when the republicans get their heads out of their butts, and realize their B>S> is just rueining america. that should all stand up and relieve the pressure on their brains.
Yep, Lil Ricky won in Mich.! He spanked the pants off ol Mitts! Ok, just a tie! LOL. I watched Mitties face when they announced he won in MIch., he looked incredulous! He didn't believe it either. Rickies face was incredulous also, cause he couldn't believe it either. Poor Mitty, couldn't but just barely win in his own back yard. Pathetic! Sans Scrotum=pathetic! The entire GOP+Pathetic! Sorry fellas, but the truth hurts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL....Cheaters never win!! Poor Santorum.
FYI everybody. Last night, Santorum referred to "women who signed the Declaration of Independence." Is he an idiot or what?
Maybe Santorum has been attending the Michele Bachmann School of History.
he probably TAUGHT there as tenured faculty (he's THAT FUC KING STUPID)
Nothin new here - Mittbot will continue to cater to the wealthy while Santorum will spew his religion, albiet more Evangelical than Catholic, IMO.
The American people better wise up or they'll end up watching Mitt flip-flop through the next 4-8 yrs or Santorum praying and taking away women's reproductive rights . . . and both ignoring the average American.
When I hear Rick Santorum speak it makes my testicles quiver and my vas deferens retract violently.
sounds like a Pavlovian reaction to me...
Hey Republicans, just a heads up, the point is to try and find someone who will win. I think you guy's have got it backwards.
(P.S. It might help if they know a little bit about American history. And if they don't, knowing anything at all will help too.)
Despite the fact that Santorum somehow managed to obtain a law degree, the guy is an idiot. He simply doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. He isn't content to shoot himself in the foot. Rather, he insists on shooting both feet. His social and political positions are so extreme that they appeal to only a small, but crazed fraction of the electorate. He would have society provide medical care to those born with trisomy in order to keep them alive for years, rather than the hours or days that would be the norm without extreme medical intervention. At the same time, many genetically normal people in society, who are capable of making a contribution to society, lack decent medical care. It does not make economic sense to expend significant resources on defective individuals who will never be able to contribute anything to society. Our genome is what makes us human. A child with a genetic abnormality that relegates it to moron status does not even rise to the intelligence level of level of lower simian creatures. That child---by definition---is not human, just as a chip is not human for the same reason (even though the chimp may function at a much higher, almost human-like level). The idea that others should not be able to decide whether or not to abort a severely defective fetus would represent an obnoxious and illegal imposition of religious beliefs on others. Government should never make that decision. It should be a personal one.
You better be careful what you say or post, or Santorum will call upon God to strike you down.
using his preferred prayer "Ohhhwah Tegoo Sayam" which he repeats at a faster and faster tempo until it comes out as a string...
A quote from Santorum from the article: "'We actually won half the congressional districts so we are going to walk out of Michigan with 15 delegates and he's going to walk out of Michigan with 15 delegates'"
Can we get a ruling from a supporter of the GOP's #1 nincompoop, Mitt Romney? Was Michigan a win, loss, or a tie?
Or does it really matter since President Obama is going to win in November, anyway?
It's one thing to be deluded. It's another thing to be absolutely totally fuc king deluded beyond any hope of recovery.
Sorry I can't explain it. Romney is lack luster. Democrats who were allowed to vote in Republican primaries thought Santorum is easiest to beat.
I'm an X-Republican, do I count?? I remember their logic. No one wins last night, Santorum has passion and Romney lacks it. Romney desperately wants to convince the GOP electorate that he's conservative and he is NOT. Just vote for Obama for another term, he will get passed his 4 trillion dollar debt reduction, increase taxes to pay off even more of the debt, that will make up for the 10+ years of the "Bush tax cuts" that should have been revenue to pay for our wasting money fighting in 2 worthless wars at a cost of +2 trillion, keep those tax increases going for 9 years and he'll cut the deficit more than half, therefore paying back the big George Bush mistake.
Santorum is a complete theocrat that is consumed by social issues. If he is elected America will be well on its way to theocracy.
He should have shut his mouth about higher education and his Satan remark and he probably would have out right won Michigan.
How low can you go. Santorum hit another low by asking democrats to vote with him or against Romney. Doesn't matter who the other candidate was he stooped to another low. Betrayal to the Republican party. Santorum supported, the Benedict Arnold of the Republican party, Arlen Specter for reelection. Specter once a Republican switched to be a democrat. Specter became the culminating and final vote for ObamaCare. For you conservatives out there, Specter then went on to call for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. ObamaCare depending on the source states that it will cost between $400 billion and $1.2 trillion. The Congressional Budget Office states that the cost will be $829 billion with job losses totaling around 1.6 million. All because Santorum willingly supported the Specter. In fact, read the PA articles he was on a crusade to get Specter reelected.
Santorum helped secure $1 billion in earmarks. This does not include all the other pork barrel bills he supported such as the Bridge to Nowhere, which was for $358 million.