Super Tuesday Not So Super

Super tuesday was not the game changing test that it was in the 2008 election. There were no real surprise victories. Newt Gingrich won his home state of Georgia by a significant margin and Romney won Massachusetts by a large margin. Romney is also have said to have won the much coveted Ohio and will likely take home most of the delegates from Ohio because of his wins in the more populated areas and also because Senator Santorum failed to meet the requirements to be put on the ballot in some congressional districts in Ohio. Senator Santorum also did not file for all of the delegates in six districts, failed to file for all 18 of his at large delegates and also failed to appear on the ballot in the state of Virginia. It is likely that these ballot troubles will continue as he failed to meet the requirements to be placed on the ballot in Washington D.C. and in some districts in Illinois. Governor Romney has criticized Senator Santorum for his lack of organization, but Mr. Santorum has simply brushed it off. Instead, Senator Santorum has called for Newt Gingrich to throw in the towel, so the nomination can become a two man race, between a true conservative (Santorum) and a moderate (Romney). Gingrich having a strong base in the south may pose a threat to Santorum in upcoming primaries in Mississippi and Alabama. However, it is not likely that Gingrich will drop out before those key primaries on March 13th, but if he does not get much support in Mississippi and Alabama then that could likely be the end of his quest for the GOP nomination.

Although Santorum and Gingrich appeal more to the southern core of the Republican party Romney has not given up hope. His campaign is running the most expensive advertising campaign in the south out of all the candidates and hopes to increase his delegates count.

Republican Debate Occurs in Florida

This Thursday, 4 republican presidential candidates entered a debate in Florida in which they talked about investments, health (specifically Ron Paul's), investing in health, and moon colonies, among other things.

The debate turned out well for everyone besides Gingrich, who had been losing the momentum gained by his South Carolina win.

I'm not going to summarize the linked article and video, but here's some additional information:

In one instance, Gingrich mentioned his belief that it is critical that the US invest in a colony on the moon. In response, Romney said "I spent 25 years in business. If I had a business executive come to me and say they wanted to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon, I'd say, 'You're fired.'" Though Romney and Santorum both agreed that the private sector needs to be more explored in space, Santorum agreed with Romney that it is not a good time for the government to be paying for such an endeavor. He also called the proposal an attempt to get local votes from Florida's space-related constituency, and argued that they candidates should be focused on larger issues than arguing for local votes. Ron Paul did not believe that space exploration should be government funded for anything more than possible defense opportunities.

In response to an episode where Gingrich called Romney the most "anti-immigrant" candidate, Romney responded saying that he found the charge repulsive and that such over-the top-statements have characterized politics for too long. Santorum and Romney then agreed that blocking immigrants form jobs would get them to "self-deport," while Ron Paul though a better economy would keep out illegal immigrants (Though this seems counter-intuitive), but that we should patrol the borders more anyway.

I think that, as recent GOP debates go, this debate was more legitimate than some of the other ones, likely due to the lack of less-popular candidates. I also liked the fact that the candidates were open and willing to criticize the appeals to local votes and extreme statements that have made national political debates and campaigns less... intellectual... than they should be.

Also, I particularly liked Ron Paul's defense of his health status.

Rick Santorum Should Give Up

I am getting tired of reading about this Former Pennsylvania Senator, Rick Santorum who I can only remember from losing Senate elections back in 2006. Is this guy really still confident in making a difference in next presidential elections? I think this guy is a real unworthy opponent, lagging in recent polls competing at 5th or 6th place for Republican candidates in the upcoming elections.

How does Santorum expect to get things passed with a mouth so implusive as his? Saying things like he almost threw up before speeches and earlier on this year saying he would pee in a cup to show he is a worthy contender. I don't know how that would help anything because whether or not he comes up positive for drugs, I still always thought he was an ill opponent. This guy already has controversial sex scandals. I can't wait for him to say more embarrassing things while getting eaten up by the press. So I give the best of luck to Mr. Santorum and tell him to keep saying whats on his mind like he has been doing because it seems to be working out for him.