GOP Primary Megathread!

[Razgovory]

Huh, I'm surprised.  I didn't think Santorum would do that well.

[Sheilbh]

So far I think this is an extremely good showing for Romney.  If he can do well with the crazy Iowa caucus people, he should clean up elsewhere.

It's not a great result for Romney.  He actually got fewer votes and a smaller percentage of the vote than last time.  Despite spending millions, campaigning for four years and competing against people like Santorum and Bachmann.  That's a pretty poor result for Romney, even if he won.

[Phillip V]

So far I think this is an extremely good showing for Romney.  If he can do well with the crazy Iowa caucus people, he should clean up elsewhere.

It's not a great result for Romney.  He actually got fewer votes and a smaller percentage of the vote than last time.  Despite spending millions, campaigning for four years and competing against people like Santorum and Bachmann.  That's a pretty poor result for Romney, even if he won.

Actually, the expectations were the opposite this election cycle. Romney abandoned the state and everybody expected him to come in fourth or worse until a few weeks ago. In 2007, he had one hundred paid staffers in Iowa. In 2011, he had four.

No non-incumbent Republican has ever won both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.

[Sheilbh]

Actually, the expectations were the opposite this election cycle. Romney abandoned the state and everybody expected him to come in fourth or worse until a few weeks ago. In 2007, he had one hundred paid staffers in Iowa. In 2011, he had four.

He didn't abandon the state and no-one expected him to come in fourth or worse.  Those things just aren't true, or they're bad spin.

He spend over $5 million on TV ads in the state, second only to Perry, and decided to go for it in Iowa over the Summer (lots of columnists wrote 'should Romney have skipped Iowa?' articles at the time).

These polls show that Iowa was basically like the rest of the GOP.  Romney regularly held arond 20-25% and endured numerous waves of conservative opponents.  At no point was there reason to expect him to come fourth or below:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/ia/iowa_republican_presidential_primary-1588.html

[Phillip V]

Actually, the expectations were the opposite this election cycle. Romney abandoned the state and everybody expected him to come in fourth or worse until a few weeks ago. In 2007, he had one hundred paid staffers in Iowa. In 2011, he had four.

He didn't abandon the state and no-one expected him to come in fourth or worse.  Those things just aren't true, or they're bad spin.

He spend over $5 million on TV ads in the state, second only to Perry, and decided to go for it in Iowa over the Summer (lots of columnists wrote 'should Romney have skipped Iowa?' articles at the time).

These polls show that Iowa was basically like the rest of the GOP.  Romney regularly held arond 20-25% and endured numerous waves of conservative opponents.  At no point was there reason to expect him to come fourth or below:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/ia/iowa_republican_presidential_primary-1588.html

Yeah, look at those polls. It showed 7 different winners at different times in polling. Romney did not want another upset like when Huckabee destroyed him. Those ad buys came in December with Romney only traveling to the state of few times for the debates until the last few weeks. His effort in Iowa 2008 vs 2012 are not comparable at all.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah, look at those polls. It showed 7 different winners at different times in polling. Romney did not want another upset like when Huckabee destroyed him. Those ad buys came in December with Romney only traveling to the state of few times for the debates until the last few weeks. His effort in Iowa 2008 vs 2012 are not comparable at all.

Romney visited Iowa as many times as Perry. 

You're right that Romney was posing as a conservative in 2008 who would sweep Iowa and then on to New Hampshire, Nevada and Michigan.  His campaign was more or less focussed solely on Iowa.  That hasn't been the case this year because he's running an incumbent-style national campaign really.  So he wasn't banking on Iowa as, say, Santorum or Bachmann were.  But he was campaigning there and he was expected to do well, if not win.  The idea that he abandoned it and wasn't expected to come in the top three or win is nonsense.

Edit:  Of course by the same token, his effort was less so was the calibre of his opponents.  In 2008 he was facing Huckabee (), Thompson, McCain and Giuliani - I think it's fair to say they're all superior to the shower he's currently facing.

[CountDeMoney]

it's one of the reasons why the GOP is not a viable option these days, at least nationally

Okay, DG.

I didn't know you made more that $250,000 a year, or saved black babies from abortions.

Otherwise, no it's not a viable option.

[CountDeMoney]

Huh, I'm surprised.  I didn't think Santorum would do that well.

Once he started sucking the evangelical cock two weeks ago, he would.

[Viking]

Meh, don't need to read 34 pages to know how goofy Iowan Republitards are.

Well, next we go to New Hampshire, where Pat Buchanan won the primary. Then we go to South Carolina. And then Florida.

When do the get to the non goofy states?

It's the Republican Primary. There are no non-goofy states.

[Phillip V]

McCain to endorse Romney tomorrow. I expect more of the GOP establishment to line up behind the former Massachusetts governor before South Carolina votes in order to sew up the nomination and focus on defeating Obama.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/01/mccain-to-endorse-romney-tomorrow-109514.html

[CountDeMoney]

before South Carolina

South Carolina would wind up killing off Ron Paul anyway.

[Phillip V]

I suppose that it is better that 2012 Mitt Romney won instead of 2008 Mitt Romney. He did not try to bend over for the evangelicals this time and stuck to his business conservative / electability platform.

[Grinning_Colossus]

It looks like Gingrich is staying in just to try to damage Romney.

[CountDeMoney]

It looks like Gingrich is staying in just to try to damage Romney.

Yeah, Newt's got a mean streak in him.  Big part of the problem with him:  he's an asshole.

[Phillip V]

It looks like Gingrich is staying in just to try to damage Romney.

Yeah, Newt's got a mean streak in him.  Big part of the problem with him:  he's an asshole.

And he wants to do book signings, which is why his original campaign team quit en masse over the summer.