Santorum drops out

[RecycleMichael]

I hope it is the candidate and not the google santorum.

[Conan71]

And Newt is still in?

...and nearly $5 mil in debt last I heard.  Damn good at deficit spending.

Santorum's better-than-anyone-expected finish amounts to a political resurrection for the two-term senator following his crushing loss in his bid for a third term in 2006, and sets him up as a major figure in the Republican Party representing its sizable social conservative wing. It also reflects lingering distrust of Romney on the part of the GOP's most conservative voters, who have pointed to Romney's relatively-moderate record as Massachusetts governor to suggest Romney does not truly represent them.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57411949-503544/rick-santorum-ends-bid-for-gop-nomination/

Anyone but Palin, I guess.

Any speculation on who Romney picks for VP?

[Gaspar]

New math.

[swake]

And Newt is still in?

...and nearly $5 mil in debt last I heard.  Damn good at deficit spending.

Anyone but Palin, I guess.

Any speculation on who Romney picks for VP?

Everyone seems to be on the Ryan bandwagon, but I think his budget proposals are too target rich for that. I'm going to say Rubio.

[Gaspar]

Everyone seems to be on the Ryan bandwagon, but I think his budget proposals are too target rich for that. I'm going to say Rubio.

Perhaps Rubio, but more likely a Governer.  

I think Romney is likely to pick someone with governing experience over a simple politician (senator, representative).  I think he may want to bolster his position on "real world experience" and selecting a politician over an executive would weaken him in a race against a politician.

GOP has a unique and fascinating way of shooting themselves in the foot just before the convention.  I am willing to bet that they have already begun loading the gun.

[guido911]

Thank goodness the primary is about over and this country can get back to focusing on how racist the republicans are when they turn their fire on the present.

[Townsend]

Thank goodness the primary is about over and this country can get back to focusing on how racist the republicans are when they turn their fire on the present.

Probably descriminatory and non-inclusive will be the route taken.

[Gaspar]

Probably descriminatory and non-inclusive will be the route taken.

The President's campaign HQ is already busy crafting the message.

[Townsend]

The President's campaign HQ is already busy crafting the message.

They're too busy working up different state issued birth certs and hiding his true faith.  They also have to fight all the new Koch products for this term.

[Ed W]

I'm gonna miss little Ricky. (sniff)  I'm especially depressed that he pulled out before the voters in Pennsylvania had a chance to reject him again.

[Red Arrow]

I'm gonna miss little Ricky. (sniff)  I'm especially depressed that he pulled out before the voters in Pennsylvania had a chance to reject him again.

You forgot this:

[we vs us]

I've heard a lot of talk about how Santorum is positioned to be a leader of the social conservative wing of the GOP, but I'm not convinced.  So much about his popularity within the GOP seemed to be part and parcel of the not-Romney movement that it's far from clear whether or not Santorum can actually inspire the movement.  He's not charismatic, he's not particularly brilliant or innovative; he's not rich, and he's not evangelical (I think most of the GOP has conveniently forgotten that he's Catholic).  He may be personally inspirational in his family life, in his plainspokenness, in his ironclad convictions, but is that really enough to motivate a whole chunk of the GOP? 

Romney has had the nomination sewn up for awhile, but this is the final obstacle out of the way.  I don't get the sense, though, that the anti-Romney energy has run its course.  I'm not sure to what degree it will shape the primaries from here on out, but I wouldn't count it out just because Santorum's done.  At this point, I think it's one of the big questions going into the convention and then the general:  how airtight is the GOP's support for Romney, really?  How badly to people want to beat Obama vs how pure they want the party?  I've been consistently surprised at how willing the activist wing has been to flirt with purists who can't win the general; the question is how will it carry over?

[TheMindWillNotLetGo]

I was preparing a diatribe, but it wasn't worth my time.

Something bigger than a la FLA and Jeb Bush notwithstanding...or simply Romney NOT getting the ticket...

This will be the greatest landslide re-election you have seen since Clinton era..

That is all.

[Conan71]

I've heard a lot of talk about how Santorum is positioned to be a leader of the social conservative wing of the GOP, but I'm not convinced.  So much about his popularity within the GOP seemed to be part and parcel of the not-Romney movement that it's far from clear whether or not Santorum can actually inspire the movement.  He's not charismatic, he's not particularly brilliant or innovative; he's not rich, and he's not evangelical (I think most of the GOP has conveniently forgotten that he's Catholic).  He may be personally inspirational in his family life, in his plainspokenness, in his ironclad convictions, but is that really enough to motivate a whole chunk of the GOP?  

Romney has had the nomination sewn up for awhile, but this is the final obstacle out of the way.  I don't get the sense, though, that the anti-Romney energy has run its course.  I'm not sure to what degree it will shape the primaries from here on out, but I wouldn't count it out just because Santorum's done.  At this point, I think it's one of the big questions going into the convention and then the general:  how airtight is the GOP's support for Romney, really?  How badly to people want to beat Obama vs how pure they want the party?  I've been consistently surprised at how willing the activist wing has been to flirt with purists who can't win the general; the question is how will it carry over?

Santorum has it made now.  He can start his own PAC (RickyPAC?), get a gig on Faux, write books on social purity and what's wrong with liberals and bring in $5 mil a year now.  That will last until they find him naked and drunk with a male or female black jack dealer in an Indian casino in the Poconos.  Then he will do a mea culpa and get a talk show on CNN.

One thing you need to remember about the more conservative wing of the GOP: they want to see Obama and his "socialist agenda" out of the White House now.  Their political principles will override their religious and social principles and they will hold their nose and vote for Romney.

Keep in mind also, now they will start to doll up Romney as a social conservative who came late to that realization after living and working in more liberal parts of the country.  For the most part, I think the rank and file will be happy with that explanation and will go to the polls.  I really don't see many of the far right staying home on election day as they are so convinced that Obama has a hammer and sickle flag tacked on the wall of the Oval Office.

Romney has a track record of success he can run on in addition to pointing to the failures of the Obama admin.  He can contrast Romneycare to Obamacare as really this should be a state-level issue.  It's really going to reverberate if SCOTUS strikes down the individual mandate in June, as expected.  Hell, anyone could run on nothing but pointing to the failures of the Obama admin.  That's precisely how Obama got in office in the first place: running on Bush's failures.

[Gaspar]

Santorum has it made now.  He can start his own PAC (RickyPAC?), get a gig on Faux, write books on social purity and what's wrong with liberals and bring in $5 mil a year now.  That will last until they find him naked and drunk with a male or female black jack dealer in an Indian casino in the Poconos.  Then he will do a mea culpa and get a talk show on CNN.

One thing you need to remember about the more conservative wing of the GOP: they want to see Obama and his "socialist agenda" out of the White House now.  Their political principles will override their religious and social principles and they will hold their nose and vote for Romney.

Keep in mind also, now they will start to doll up Romney as a social conservative who came late to that realization after living and working in more liberal parts of the country.  For the most part, I think the rank and file will be happy with that explanation and will go to the polls.  I really don't see many of the far right staying home on election day as they are so convinced that Obama has a hammer and sickle flag tacked on the wall of the Oval Office.

Romney has a track record of success he can run on in addition to pointing to the failures of the Obama admin.  He can contrast Romneycare to Obamacare as really this should be a state-level issue.  It's really going to reverberate if SCOTUS strikes down the individual mandate in June, as expected.  Hell, anyone could run on nothing but pointing to the failures of the Obama admin.  That's precisely how Obama got in office in the first place: running on Bush's failures.

Spot on!

I'll be very interested in seeing wether or not Romney runs, wins and then continues to campaign on BLAME.  I think that has been the most shocking contrast President Obama has offered that separates him from other politicians.  He continues to blame all of his current failures on other people, other countries, the environment, the American People, and of course Bush. 

Even more interesting, his followers are so quick to defend every action he makes, even if they disagree with it, by saying "but Bush did. . ."
Bush has become the reason for President Obama's success, and the license for his failure.