New Hampshire Primary Thread

[Boom_70]

Let the fun begin. John McCain gets the ball rolling by endorsing Mitt.

McCain looked ill at ease in making the speech. It seemed a bit hollow.

 

[Football_Bat]

"Here we come, South Carolina!" tweets Rick Perry, completely forgetting the state in between.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/rick-perry-here-we-come-south-carolina/2012/01/04/gIQAwRKbaP_blog.html

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Sad to say, this will probably be Huntsman's last stand. It's too bad, because I really like the guy, but he's way off the radar and to some extent, that's his fault.

Basically the only thing to watch here is how Santorum does. He'll probably finish second or third by default since so many other candidates are essentially skipping this to focus on South Carolina.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Sad to say, this will probably be Huntsman's last stand. It's too bad, because I really like the guy, but he's way off the radar and to some extent, that's his fault.

Basically the only thing to watch here is how Santorum does. He'll probably finish second or third by default since so many other candidates are essentially skipping this to focus on South Carolina.

Little Ricky's currently riding at 10% in flash polls. Iowa was his dream environment, but that's in the rearview mirror. He'll be treated more hospitably in South Carolina, which is more his game, but he has to get there unscathed, first.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Sad to say, this will probably be Huntsman's last stand. It's too bad, because I really like the guy, but he's way off the radar and to some extent, that's his fault.

Basically the only thing to watch here is how Santorum does. He'll probably finish second or third by default since so many other candidates are essentially skipping this to focus on South Carolina.

Little Ricky's currently riding at 10% in flash polls. Iowa was his dream environment, but that's in the rearview mirror. He'll be treated more hospitably in South Carolina, which is more his game, but he has to get there unscathed, first.

Iowa was his dream environment. That's why too much is being made of what happened on Tuesday. If he wins South Carolina, then things could be interesting for awhile, but I don't think he will. What will happen in South Carolina is that Santorum will chip away at the lead the Gingrich had there and possibly open things up a bit.

 

[TrooperBari]

Sad to say, this will probably be Huntsman's last stand. It's too bad, because I really like the guy, but he's way off the radar and to some extent, that's his fault.

It's interesting that he put so many of his eggs in the New Hampshire basket despite it having its delegate allotment cut in half (as did South Carolina). It's awfully early to be counting delegates, obviously, but I wonder if any candidates who struggle there will use the cuts as an excuse while dismissing the result as an aberration in an ultimately inconsequential state.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_presidential_primaries,_2012

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Sad to say, this will probably be Huntsman's last stand. It's too bad, because I really like the guy, but he's way off the radar and to some extent, that's his fault.

It's interesting that he put so many of his eggs in the New Hampshire basket despite it having its delegate allotment cut in half (as did South Carolina). It's awfully early to be counting delegates, obviously, but I wonder if any candidates who struggle there will use the cuts as an excuse while dismissing the result as an aberration in an ultimately inconsequential state.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_presidential_primaries,_2012

It's obvious he doesn't want to work all that hard for it. He wants everybody else to fall down, then have the masses rush to kiss his ring. It didn't work for Mario Cuomo, it didn't work for Fred Thompson, and it ain't working for Huntsman.

But nobody in the field looks more like a president than that guy.

 

[Boom_70]

I wish Huntsman would just drop out now. It's getting painful to watch his irrelevance. The guy spent almost all his time in New Hampshire for months and still, the rosiest predictions have him finishing third and maybe getting to a double-digit percentage of support.

I'm more and more convinced that Huntsman has served as a rabbit for Romney in New Hampshire.

It was all decided long ago by the LDS church elders.

 

[TigerVols]

I wish Huntsman would just drop out now. It's getting painful to watch his irrelevance. The guy spent almost all his time in New Hampshire for months and still, the rosiest predictions have him finishing third and maybe getting to a double-digit percentage of support.

I'm more and more convinced that Huntsman has served as a rabbit for Romney in New Hampshire.

It was all decided long ago by the LDS church elders.

Wouldn't be surprised by this at all.

 

[king cranium maximus IV]

Let the fun begin. John McCain gets the ball rolling by endorsing Mitt.

McCain looked ill at ease in making the speech. It seemed a bit hollow.

Not surprising. McCain hated Romney in the '08 campaign, and it showed in the debates.

 

[suburbia]

I wish Huntsman would just drop out now. It's getting painful to watch his irrelevance. The guy spent almost all his time in New Hampshire for months and still, the rosiest predictions have him finishing third and maybe getting to a double-digit percentage of support.

I'm more and more convinced that Huntsman has served as a rabbit for Romney in New Hampshire.

It was all decided long ago by the LDS church elders.

I'm more and more convinced that Huntsman ran to introduce himself to voters and position himself as the GOP's savior for 2016, after "purer" choices flamed out this year.

 

[Boom_70]

Let the fun begin. John McCain gets the ball rolling by endorsing Mitt.

McCain looked ill at ease in making the speech. It seemed a bit hollow.

Not surprising. McCain hated Romney in the '08 campaign, and it showed in the debates.

McCain had that look of being broken by the ARVN prison
guards.

 

[Oggiedoggie]

I hope that they get rid of the debates and go with a format similar to "Dancing with the Stars," only with the candidates paired up with their biggest campaign contributor.

A co-worker suggested that they should also wear NASCAR-like jumpsuits covered in patches from their other sponsors, but I kind of like the idea of them continuously switching their hats.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I hope that they get rid of the debates and go with a format similar to "Dancing with the Stars," only with the candidates paired up with their biggest campaign contributor.

A co-worker suggested that they should also wear NASCAR-like jumpsuits covered in patches from their other sponsors, but I kind of like the idea of them continuously switching their hats.

And when someone prominent decides to make an endorsement, they should have three different hats with three candidate's last names on them. Then they pick one of the hats.

 

[heyabbott]

I wish Huntsman would just drop out now. It's getting painful to watch his irrelevance. The guy spent almost all his time in New Hampshire for months and still, the rosiest predictions have him finishing third and maybe getting to a double-digit percentage of support.

I'm more and more convinced that Huntsman has served as a rabbit for Romney in New Hampshire.

It was all decided long ago by the LDS church elders.

I'm more and more convinced that Huntsman ran to introduce himself to voters and position himself as the GOP's savior for 2016, after "purer" choices flamed out this year.

Secretary of State, excellent qualifications.

 

[Deeper_Background]

Rick Santorum compares same-sex marriage to polygamy Asked by a college student why he opposed the right of same-sex couples to wed, he responded that there was no compelling reason to allow it and suggested that it was akin to legalizing polygamy.

“So, everybody has the right to be happy?” he said. “So, if you’re not happy unless you’re married to five other people, is that OK?”

Santorum’s logic provoked an outcry from the audience, which was made up primarily of local college students but also a number of local conservative voters who were there to support the surging presidential candidate.

It was the first such confrontation over Santorum’s well-documented opposition to gay rights and gay marriage since his surprisingly strong finish in the Iowa caucuses, but it probably won’t be the last. New Hampshire has allowed same-sex marriage since 2010, and voters who were unaware of Santorum’s stance on the issues are likely to hear a great deal about them now that he is emerging as the Christian conservative standard-bearer in the race.

The grilling began almost immediately after Santorum concluded his opening remarks at an event sponsored by the New England College. Student after student challenged him on his stance, especially in light of his earlier remarks about the founding principle that all men were created equal.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/rick-santorum-compares-same-sex-marriage-to-polygamy-in-spirited-exchange-at-nh-college/2012/01/05/gIQAdEwXdP_blog.html

 

[Stitch]

I wish Huntsman would just drop out now. It's getting painful to watch his irrelevance. The guy spent almost all his time in New Hampshire for months and still, the rosiest predictions have him finishing third and maybe getting to a double-digit percentage of support.

I'm more and more convinced that Huntsman has served as a rabbit for Romney in New Hampshire.

It was all decided long ago by the LDS church elders.

Is Hunstman still an active Mormon? I haven't seen anything to suggest he, his wife, or kids are active Mormons anymore.

 

[bigpern23]

Let the fun begin. John McCain gets the ball rolling by endorsing Mitt.

McCain looked ill at ease in making the speech. It seemed a bit hollow.

Not surprising. McCain hated Romney in the '08 campaign, and it showed in the debates.

Seems like such a front-running move to wait until a day or two after Iowa to endorse the candidate who came out ahead. Way to go out on a limb there, Johnny.

I'm a Democrat who had a lot of respect for McCain at one time, but the last decade has really eroded a lot of positive feelings I had for him.

 

[DanOregon]

You almost get the sense that McCain was just buttering up his centrist friends in the media thinking they'd give him cover for the stuff he had to say to win the GOP nom in 2008.
It's odd, it seems like the only good Republican to the GOP is one that is hated by all but 50.1 percent (or so) people who vote on election day.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

McCain just leaves me shaking my head.

I don't think that, during my lifetime there has ever been a candidate that I liked better than McCain in 2000, and I so desperately wanted to believe that he was the same person in 2008 that he was in 2000.

I think the Republican Party set him up as a patsy in 2008 and I think he knows it.