GINGRICH: He said on FOX, per GOP 12: "Yesterday afternoon, I joined millions of Americans in watching the Master's, and the two guys who ended up in the sudden death were, neither one, in first place when the last round began. Now neither of them dropped out."
NBC’s Alex Moe reports that last night on Hannity, Gingrich joked about getting a tattoo on his forehead so people would stop asking if he was going to Tampa or not. “I’m thinking about getting it tattooed up here,” Gingrich said as he pointed to his forehead, “All the way to Tampa, OK?”
ROMNEY: The Romney campaign pulled its negative ad of Santorum in Pennsylvania while the Santorums’ daughter Bella was in the hospital, but the New York Times reports: “Once Bella is released from the hospital, the Romney campaign is expected to put the anti-Santorum ad back into its rotation….”
And: “Jim Roddey, chairman of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County, who has endorsed Mr. Romney, said the campaign probably would conduct polling to see whether Bella’s hospitalization remained a sensitive issue. But, he said, sympathy for Bella would probably not bring Mr. Santorum any new votes, nor would it deter the Romney camp from full-throated attacks on Mr. Santorum.”
Here’s Mitt Romney at 23 talking (in black and white in 1970) about his mother’s candidacy for the Senate – and lamenting Senators who vote party lines.
GOP 12 points out that sounds an awful lot like Romney circa 2002.
SANTORUM: Per NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell, Santorum daughter Bella is out of the hospital. "Rick and Karen are happy to announce that their daughter Bella has been discharged from the hospital and returned home earlier Monday evening,” campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley said. “The Santorums are truly overwhelmed by the prayers and support they've received - and wanted to attach a picture of their daughter Bella so everyone could see their precious gift from God.”
The campaign canceled its first two events of the day to allow Rick, Karen and Bella to settle in at home. To make up for the morning events, the campaign is adding a campaign stop in Gettysburg, Pa., at 2:00 pm ET and the remainder of the day's public and private events will continue as originally planned."
“Santorum showed a considerably more moderate face in a campaign brochure from his failed 2006 Senate race in Pennsylvania. It highlighted how he steered big federal dollars to the state and teamed up with rock star Bono to fight AIDS and global poverty,” AP reports. “Titled ‘50 Things You May Not Know About Rick Santorum,’ the pamphlet played up his role in boosting federal spending for food stamps, schools, heating aid for the poor, Amtrak, the environment and prescription drugs for seniors -- programs more often championed by Democrats and derided by conservatives like the GOP primary voters Santorum now courts.”


Romney is buying the nomination because he can. Santorum has too many dependents and Gingrich doesn't have a high enough credit ceiling at Tiffany's. Real people are corporations that speak with money and Santorum and Gingrich can't speak their language. The White House has been sold to Wall Street, if they can kick out the current occupants. Carl Rove et. al. plan a campaign of shock and awe, just short of a cross burning on the lawn.
Santorum is riding a wave of sympathy at the moment, and it might be enough to hold on in his home state against the Romney money machine. And in theory if the pendulum swings and Republicans decide they really don't want to nominate someone who even they acknowledge has a serious integrity deficit, the guy in the on-deck circle wins. That's why he's sticking around. That's why Gingrich is sticking around. They both know it is somewhat unprecedented for a party to nominate someone the majority of party members don't want.
But Santorum needs to be careful here. That sympathy can quickly turn to disdain and then, worse, no thoughts at all... if he's perceived as just hanging on for the sake of hanging on. I think Gingrich is already there, and is now hurting his position in the party by remaining a gadfly sideshow. If Santorum leaves at the right time, he'll be in good position to continue building contacts and potential supporters for 2016 - basically the model Romney is benefitting from, having basically never stopped running since 2007.
It's a tough call. Winning PA will give him some credibility to hang a little longer.