“…Gingrich has decided to dig in, campaigning this week in North Carolina and Delaware and mapping out a shoestring strategy to get to the Republican convention in Tampa…

Establishment Republicans say they’re ready for Gingrich to get out of the race and warn that anything he does to damage the GOP now will haunt him to the last days of his career.

Gingrich himself told reporters in Delaware this week that he’s absolutely not getting out of the race, mostly because he doesn’t have to.   “My experience in history is it’s not over until it’s over and that currently it’s very clear that Romney does not today have a majority of the delegates.” …

Shirley added Gingrich has very little to lose and could even position himself as a leading conservative voice after the 2012 elections by staying in the race now. “If Romney becomes the nominee, but loses in November, there’s going to be all that soul-searching and handwringing.  In that universe, Gingrich would have a major role.” …

But patience is wearing thin for Gingrich’s Don Quixote moment inside the GOP establishment, which has been skeptical of Gingrich’s motivations from the beginning of the race, but has become infuriated with his inside-the-tent swipes at everything from Paul Ryan’s budget plan to retroactive hits on Freddie Mac and TARP, which Gingrich had once supported…

“If he’s out there being destructive to the brand, he will never be able to recover from that,” Fratto said…

“They know I don’t care about their opinions,” Gingrich said. “I don’t go to their cocktail parties. I don’t go to their Christmas parties. The only press events I go to are interesting dinners when the wife insists on it.”

He went on to eviscerate the current Republican Party as intellectually lazy and more interested in playing golf than working to be true to the Founding Fathers.

“The Republican Party is a managerial party that doesn’t like to fight, doesn’t like to read books,” he said. “This is why the Tea Party was so horrifying. Tea Partiers were actually learning about the Declaration of Independence. They wanted to talk about the Federalist Papers. It was weird. They could be golfing.”

[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/13/newt-gingrich-s-ongoing-candidacy-draws-ire-of-gop-establishment.html]

Sabre-rattling from the GOP?  I thought Newt was a non-factor?  Must be something is afoot, like perhaps Romney is not doing as well as The Establishment would like us to believe?  I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it unless proven otherwise:  Romney is going to have a VERY tough time reaching that magic 1144 number.

What if the GOP manages to squeak out win for their boy?  My contention is that they can’t do this without a lot of crossover votes in open primary states, and those voters won’t return in November to repeat their performance for Mitt.  Where will that leave the average American citizen?  Totally screwed by an elite group of people that as Newt said, would rather be playing golf.

So maybe a little sabre-rattling back at the GOP is in order.  You keep giving us unacceptable candidates who can’t possibly beat our opponents, and the Grand Old Party is going to be toast.

[Hi.  We respect copyright, here. If you don't own the copyright, excerpt using 'fair-use' principles.  This is not a request. - Moe Lane]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/romney-sells-inauguration-access-nine-months-earl

I am astounded not only by the arrogance, but also the haste to have himself *deemed* the Republican nominee.

“…Romney has a huge problem with the conservative base of the GOP,” Phillips said. “He had better do something about that ASAP or he won’t have to worry about that moving to the middle nonsense. Without the GOP base, he is a lost cause…” http://dailycaller.com/2012/04/13/tea-party-leader-warns-romney-dont-expect-us-to-campaign-for-you/

There is nothing to get excited about with a Romney nomination…just more of the same tired politics-as-usual in Washington, while we taxpayers foot more and more of the bill.

What’s even worse is the very real possibility that instead of breaking the Tea Party’s back, the RNC will have destroyed the Republican Party. This election was supposed to be different. “No more RINOs” was the cry from the Base, and yet here we are again with another *presumed* candidate who can’t get the majority of Republican voters to back him because he isn’t a Conservative.

Romney took 38% of the delegates available in Colorado over the past 2 days, continuing a disturbingly lack-luster trend. Of great interest though were the numbers of people who voted for both Rick Santorum and Ron Paul. This should cause the RNC to reconsider plans to coronate Mitt, but it won’t faze them a bit.

Like good little drones, the Republican Base is supposed to fall in line and vote for whomever the RNC throws at us, but judging from the reactions I’ve seen, that assumption just may not be valid this time. People want their country back. They want jobs and futures for their children. They do not want a Nanny State peering into every aspect of their lives or redistributing their hard-earned dollars.

This election is not as simple as “Anybody but Obama”. It’s about keeping faith with the American People and upholding the Constitution. It’s about limiting the reach and purview of government. It’s about protecting our freedoms and liberties as individuals. It’s about maintaining our safety and security from those who seek to destroy us.

Romney doesn’t get it. Santorum and Paul kinda sorta get it. As the last of the Reagan Republicans, Newt most definitely gets it…and people are noticing. I will crawl over broken glass and burning embers to vote for a man who understands and loves America and our Constitution. I will vote for Newt!

From the Denver Post:

“The momentum was painful for Mitt Romney supporters, who had assumed when Santorum dropped out of the presidential race this week they’d have a much easier time in winning Colorado’s delegate and alternate seats to the Republican National Convention

Instead, some of the Santorum’s supporters united with Paul’s backers to form the “Conservative Unity Slate” to win a slew of delegate slots. Four years ago, only one Paul supporter was elected to attend the national convention.

“This is a revolution,” said Florence Sebern of Denver, an “unpledged” delegate who was wearing a Paul pin. She was part of the slate.”

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20398638/politics

I think the Tea Party just roared…which pleases me no end.

First, I would like to extend a sincere thank-you to my detractors. You were quite correct…I did make an error. In my first post on the subject, I incorrectly typed in a value from the wrong cell in my spreadsheet. Instead of Romney needing 663 hard delegates, he needs 608. Other than a miss-read, my calculations are still correct.

Now I don’t know if Romney has already been awarded Party and Committee delegates (there are 69 of these), so let’s pretend they haven’t been awarded:
Romney currently has 536 hard delegates and needs another 608 to win the nomination outright.

If Romney gets 45% of the remaining 869 delegates from upcoming state and district primaries, plus all 69 Party and Committee delegates, he ends up with a total of (536 + 460) = 996 delegates.

If Romney gets 60% of the remaining 869 delegates from upcoming state and district primaries, plus all 69 Party and Committee delegates, he ends up with a total of (536 + 590) = 1126 delegates.

Romney is still shy necessary delegates even if he gets 60% of the remaining state and district delegates plus all 69 Party and Committee delegates.
How is Romney going to pull this off if he consistently struggles to get his poll numbers above 44%?

Maybe the RNC can just “deem” Romney the nominee – or he might buy every delegate a nice sandwich.

Mitt Romney must win over 60% of all remaining hard delegates to secure the GOP nomination. Surprised?

19 states still need to be heard from, and of those states 869 hard delegates are available at the state and district level (discounting the 37 total delegates available between Indiana and Arkansas, which have proportionality rules only a democrat could love). State and committee GOP delegates number about 69, which I’m throwing into my calculations as a given for Romney.

Nevertheless, Romney still needs 663 delegates to reach that magic 1144 number.

Can he do it?

Of the 11,280,792 votes cast so far, Romney has accumulated 4,595,908 or only about 41%. Typically, Romney does not garner more than an average of 44% of the vote. Santorum averaged about 25% of the vote. Even if half of Santorum’s supporters vote for Mitt, this still does not give him the necessary 60+ % to secure the GOP nomination.

[All data from http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/republican_vote_count.html].

Is Mr. Cain being accused of raping or murdering anyone? No.

Is Mr. Cain being accused of fathering multiple children outside of his marriage? No.

Is Mr. Cain being accused of taking lewd photos of himself and sending them to young women? No.

Is Mr. Cain being accused of visiting a prostitute so frequently that he had his own customer number? No.

Then what is all the ruckus about? Mr. Cain is a Conservative and a political outsider who could do great damage to all career politicians.

Mr. Cain is winning in almost every poll, and by more than just a little bit. He has generated real hope, enthusiasm, and national pride in an otherwise despairing and depressed population, and he WILL be our next Commander-in-Chief unless the powers that be can somehow derail his campaign. A win for him next November will usher in a new and dangerous political era where accountability to taxpayers will be key. The fraud, corruption, lawlessness, greed, and gross lack of concern for America and her People will finally be laid bare for all to see. Every career politician will run for the hills as evidence of their wrongdoing is made public.

Mr. Cain therefore, must be stopped. At any and all cost. No matter how fantastic and unbelievable the story and accusation, the MSM will run with it.

The lynching has begun in earnest.

Yet, we have viewed the disgusting photos of Mr. Weiner’s crotch. We have heard Mr. Clinton dispute the meaning of the word “is”. We have read about John Edwards planning to wed his mistress as soon as his wife died. We have the testimony of Client #9′s prostitute. Mary Jo Kopechne’s death still seems utterly reprehensible to many of us. We have been forced to accept that powerful and privileged politicians routinely make a mockery of our laws…and we are SICK of it!

America and her People need you, Mr. Cain. We see what’s being done and will stand with you, pray for you, vote for you, and support you any way we can. Just don’t give up!

“Put some ice on that” and keep fighting!

McCain raises prospect of military option in Syria

“US Senator John McCain raised the prospect Sunday of possible armed intervention to protect civilians in Syria where a crackdown on pro-democracy protests has killed more than 3,000 people.

“Now that military operations in Libya are ending, there will be renewed focus on what practical military operations might be considered to protect civilian lives in Syria,” McCain told a World Economic Forum meeting in Jordan…”

“…McCain charged that “dark forces in this region, especially in Iran, are working harder than ever to hijack the promise of what many are calling the Arab Spring. “These concerns are real and legitimate and merit our vigilance.” …” (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.7a1f679ced5b40465c22d8e765ab2046.881&show_article=1)

No, Senator McCain, the United States of America does not need to be involved in yet another war.

Should we send aid and advisors? Maybe, but if Egypt and Libya are any indicators, the only thing we will accomplish is the eradication of one totalitarian regime in favor of another even more repressive and brutal Islamo-fascist theocracy.

We can look to Iraq, Afghanistan, and even Pakistan for additional evidence.

After liberating Iraq, we built schools and medical facilities. We fed hungry people. America’s presence offered the Iraqi people time, skilled workers, and necessary financial support to get their country up and running again. Yet, we have been summarily dismissed from the region by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203911804576649353571129360.html?mod=googlenews_wsj).

Since 1948, America has sent nearly $480 billion in direct aid to Pakistan (http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/jul/11/us-aid-to-pakistan). For our troubles, Pakistan now has nuclear weapons, has allowed a number of Americans to be killed or detained, harbored bin Laden, and given sanctuary to many terrorist groups.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has declared that his nation will side with Pakistan against the United States (http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/23/karzai-says-afghanistan-would-back-pakistan-if-us-attacks/) despite the nearly $19 billion sent over the last 10 years to help stabilize their country (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/jan-june11/afghanistan1_06-08.html).

Thus, it appears that no amount of aid or assistance poured into Islamic nations by the United States makes any difference. One definition of insanity is to keep doing the same unsuccessful thing repeatedly yet expecting different results.

Brutality and oppression are the order of Islamic governments, and no amount of American intervention is going to change this reality.

Sounding more like Obama than a Republican House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor said this past Sunday on Fox News that The Rich must:

“…actually put their money to work to create more jobs so that we can see a closing of the gap.”

“We know in this country right now that there is a complaint about folks at the top end of the income scale, if they make too much, and too many don’t make enough.”

“We are about income mobility and that’s what we should be focused on to take care of the income disparity in this country” said Cantor.”

We’ve become accustomed to hearing this sort of drivel from the Left as they penalize profitable businesses, but it is startling to hear similar obfuscation coming from Eric Cantor.

What could have inspired Mr. Cantor’s defection to the Occupy Wall Street crowd?

Could it be that critical mass has finally been achieved within establishment Republican ranks by the unexpected popularity of Herman Cain and his 9-9-9 plan?

Rick Perry has raised thus far about $17 million for his war chest, and Mitt Romney has around $15 million on hand. Herman Cain has only about $1.3 million to spend on his campaign.

Yet, which candidate is leading in nearly every poll? That’s right, Herman Cain…and not by any small margin either. His messages resonate. He inspires love of country and traditional values. He embraces the Constitution and the visions of our Founding Fathers. People are flocking to his side in droves…even folks who typically vote Democratic.

But Herman Cain doesn’t need gazillions of dollars to get his message across. Tea Party members are making campaign signs, buttons, and brochures at home. We are blogging, commenting, and most importantly, we are talking to other fed-up Americans.

All 435 House of Representative seats are up for grabs in 2012. Understandably, establishment Republicans politicians are running scared. They have good cause for their fear, for they have offered us only Democrat-lite candidates who are soft on everything from illegal immigration to socialized healthcare.

But our eyes are open, Mr. Cantor. We are interested in substance, message, and solutions. You offer none of these things. The only thing left to bolster your bid for re-election in 2012 is to now pander to the Left.

By doing so, you reveal that power, money, and influence are your guiding principles – not the good of America or her people. And the American people are finished with your kind.

So who are our candidates?

Bachman
Cain
Gingrich
Greenspon
Huntsman
Johnson
Karger
Martin
McCotter
McMillan
Miller
Moore
Paul
Pawlenty
Roemer
Romney
Santorum
Wuensche

I haven’t even heard of some of these folks, and thus cannot comment on those individuals. But of the ones I am familiar with (Bachman, Cain, Gingrich, Paul, Pawlenty, Romney, and Santorum), Mr. Cain seems to be the best-qualified because of his business background and distance from The Beltway.

Having expressed my opinion, let’s look at some facts: Barack is THE MOST BEATABLE CANDIDATE in the history of the United States, while Democrat and RINO congress critters can also be defeated in droves. We have one chance to begin restoring America to her previous greatness during the 2012 elections. Should we lose the Presidency and/or seats in Congress, the game is over.

A toaster oven could beat Obama at this moment in time, yet, where are our statesmen & women????

Do we have any declared candidates capable of inspiring the average American citizen towards patriotism and away from feeding at the public trough? Is there anyone out there who can deliver a speech effectively without sounding like a TV preacher asking for money or used car salesmen (apologies to used car salesmen – you do perform a vital service which will become even more important in coming days).

Where are those individuals who are capable of saying anything like FDR’s “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself!“, or Churchill’s “…we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.”

Show me a candidate with fire in his or her belly, who is not afraid to fight, and who loves America more than life itself, and I’ll show you someone who can not only win the election, but save the United States in the process.