Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Santorum's Math Problems Persist

Romney may have been bested in the South but that is really not a surprise to anyone. The big surprise is that Santorum only won 10 more delegates than Mitt Romney in the South. If that is suppose to be a home run for Rick than Mitt's previous wins must all be considered bases loaded grand slams. I have to admit I am surprised that Romney had as much support as he did considering most Southerners voted on religious lines. Three quick points to remember.

1) Mitt still has over a million more votes. (1,188,772)

2) Mitt still has more delegates (489) than all the other candidates combined and more than double Rick Santorum's (234) delegate count.

While it was a double win for Rick Santorum in the South, Mitt will likely come out with more delegates tonight after American Samoa and Hawaii report. A few more Santorum nights like this and Romney will have the nomination in the bag. 
Rick Santorum's math problems persist after double wins in the South. He can't seem to gain any ground on the front-runner Mitt Romney even when he wins. Poor Rick.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Any state's presidential primary in which a candidate's religion plays an important role in the voters' selection of the nominee illustrates in spades why the Founders insisted that Article VI be included in the body of the Constitution. Article VI is not an amendment. It's CORE material in the Constitution itself:

"But no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

Wake up, you anti-Constitutionalists whose vote is based on your deficient understanding of the Constitution AND your ignorance of biblical scholarship!

Publius Nemo said...

You can vote for whoever you want for whatever reason. If you don't like Mormons or people with blonde hair you can vote vote on those lines. They are equally ridicules lines to vote down but that's American freedom. The religious test clause is for the government and not the voters. The results in the South just reaffirm how out of step the South remains. 100 years ago they would have linched the President and Mitt Romney so I guess 30% support is a step in the right direction. Mitt will win the nomination and the presidency regardless of religious intolerance of some people. America was founded for minorities like the Mormons to protect them from an overbearing majority. Mitt will be a president for all Americans.

Anonymous said...

PN, your distinction between the "government" versus "the voters" is narrow and misleading. In a representative republic like ours, the spirit and letter of Article VI applies to the entire electoral process. It's the "voters" who choose the elected officials to represent them, not the so-called "government." Sure, a voter is free to cast his/her ballot based on any sort of private bigotry. But that doesn't make such prejudicial behavior consistent with the intent of Article VI of the Constitution.

Publius Nemo said...

The religious test is intact referring to government precluding any person for running for office based on religion but I don't want to debate the constitution with you. The fact is the South is narrow minded and religious intolerance and bigotry is sadly alive and well in the South. I agree with you 100% that the founders had a vision of a tolerant pluralistic society and we obviously fall short of that vision in the South. Romney will restore their hope and our country.

Unknown said...

Santorum says he's going to win the nomination before the convention. He's officially sticking Newt's foot in his mouth now :-)

Anonymous said...

Well spoken Graham!

Terrye said...

Publius..I wish Mitt had won in the south too..but I really resent what you said about Southerners..If I remember my history correctly it was not the "south" that declared war on the Mormons in the 19th century, it was the US government.

And I do not think it was just religion that made this vote happen anyway..for a lot of people it was social conservatism that won the day..they voted for Santorum the same way they voted for Huckabee.

As for lynching {you should learn how to spell it}...I don't think that we need to go down that road..if we do then I guess we will just have to point out that when Romney wins the south in the general election he did because Obama is black...do you think that is right? I don't..I think the truth is that Romney did pretty well last night. He still got a lot of the delegates. And in the end those southern states you are calling names will vote for him in the general..unlike those sophisticated non southern states that will almost certainly vote to reelect Obama.

Did you know that in 2008, not one single county in the state of Oklahoma went for Obama. We can't say that for California or New York, can we?

Machtyn said...

Terrye: Sadly, the South was a VERY dangerous place for both blacks and Mormons 100+ years ago. There were plenty of missionaries beaten and killed as they traveled the Southern States mission. This year, for Sunday School, we are learning Christ's teachings as taught by George Albert Smith. He had an experience with J. Golden Kimball where they got holed up in a cabin and had to keep their heads down while a hail of lead filled the walls. In the morning, they found the hickory sticks the mob was going to use to beat them with.

I do also agree with PN that the Constitution is written as a device that limits governments. The People will choose how they will choose. (See also the Book of Mormon and how the People chose then and the results. They also lived in a free society.)

Minorities still suffer from fear and hate in the South. In a discussion last night, I experienced it directly. It's not as prevalent and it is usually only words, but it still occurs.

Santorum's math is definitely still flawed. He even thinks he can get 1144 before June. He won't. Even for Romney, it will be very difficult as the Left and Right media slam on him daily and shift the momentum away from him. (Note how Obama got a free ride in 2008 and Clinton's wins were denounced and her losses pronounced. Same thing is happening here.)

Publius Nemo said...

Terrye, My family is from the South, fought for the Confederacy, and I live in Alabama. So please don't get too offended about what I think of the South. It has great points and it has it's bad points. Sectarian voting or denominational voting is narrow minded and we put some spring into the Santorum step. That is the bad side. Thanks for correcting my misspelling of "lynching". I hope you still understand my hastily written comment. Peace from Dixie! PN

Terrye said...

Publius..I was born and raised in Oklahoma..My father and all his brothers fought in WWW2..I have relatives today serving in Afghanistan. I had family members in Iraq. I had family members in Korea and Viet Nam too. They obey the law, pay their taxes and love their country..they do not deserve to be attacked as a class just because Romney lost a primary.

Terrye said...

Machtyn...Mormons were attacked all over the country..that is why they went west...and blacks were also subjected to Jim Crow laws in the north.

I am so sick of this sanctimonious regional snobbery.

Tell me, if Mitt Romney gets the nomination and California goes for Obama..well it be because they are a bunch of knuckle dragging red necks?

Publius Nemo said...

Terrye, No worries. South is great which is why I live here. You're barking up the wrong tree. I just think it is a shame that according to exit polls religion was such a strong motivator here. Is that stepping on your toes too much? Relax. I am not deprecating the entire South but I am not going to say there aren't positive and negative aspects about the South or any other State. I love Alabama and live here. What's the problem? Peace and Plenty, PN

Daniel Baker said...

Publius Nemo, you hare an honest and fair man. I appreciate what you say. And there certainly have been religious in addicion to racial incidents in the territory we are talking about. Harkers Island, NC, Methodist preacher joined or encouraged anti-Mormon violence that was strictly and only about religious beleif/disbelief. I am not reading from the book, maybe I should? NO NEVER condemn a region, race (including Jewish), country, culture, tribe for what some percent do. We do know that some peoples have more of a history than others - in fact I dated a girl whose father proudly showed a KKK membership. But the broad paintbrush doesn't work, in any direction or side whatsoever.