# Romney, Santorum, Gingrich, Paul, tomorrow night's CNN debate, and Super Tuesday **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 21, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546 "2012-02-21T18:45:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/81 "2012-03-05T20:37:54Z")
[Here’s the full schedule of primaries and caucuses.](http://www.2012presidentialelectionnews.com/2012-republican-primary-schedule/) By my count there are 32 states and territories still to go, including Missouri _again_. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/82 "2012-03-05T21:22:19Z")
The “That One Doesn’t Count, Show Me Again” state. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/83 "2012-03-06T12:25:21Z")
The big story tonight will be Ohio, which I think will be a repeat of Michigan and a 3-4 point Romney win. The formula is crude but effective- in any state that Romney needs and he’s behind in the polls, park the Death Star overhead and carpet bomb the upstart rival with negative ads. He’s like the pitcher who will keep throwing the same pitch at a batter until he proves he can hit it. Thus far no other Republican can take Romney’s high heat so he’s going to keep on throwing it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/84 "2012-03-06T17:05:47Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The big story tonight will be Ohio, which I think will be a repeat of Michigan and a 3-4 point Romney win. I remember at least one reporter saying that the Michigan results augured well for Santorum in Michigan - the two states are similar demographically with the exception of Michigan’s Oakland County, which went for Romney in a big way. But since then Santorum’s campaign seems to have hit the skids and Romney’s advantages have come to the fore. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/85 "2012-03-06T17:20:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’m curious about how the delegates will break down if it goes that way. I agree that if Romney wins Ohio it has to be considered his day, and if he wins Ohio and Tennessee, that’s huge. I’d be shocked if Santorum doesn’t win Tennessee. And, I’d regret not voting for him just to make Romney sweat a little more. As it was I voted for Huntsman just out of stubborness. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/86 "2012-03-07T19:34:17Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > It seems like the winner at more and more of these debates is Barack Obama. That is the most prescient post in this thread. Little did I know when I posted this thread on Febuary 21st that the President would be [trash talking](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/world/middleeast/obama-rebukes-gop-critics-of-his-iran-policy.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper) the Republican candidates on Super Tuesday in a White House press conference. The President was responding indirectly to what Romney and Santorum said about the Obama administration’s policy on Iran. Then, in a masterful stroke, the President said, “If some of these folks think that it’s time to launch a war, they should say so, and they should explain to the American people exactly why they would do that and what the consequences would be.” Bravo, Mr. President! The front page headline about Super Tuesday is a non-headline. Meaning, today we know as much as we knew yesterday. We knew Gingrich would win Georgia; Gingrich won Georgia. We knew Santorum had momentum going into Super Today; Santorum has momentum. In short, nothing happened yesterday that we did not expect to happen. The larger question, though, is: What effect, if any, will Super Tuesday have on the Republican National Convention in August? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/87 "2012-03-07T19:45:23Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > We knew Santorum had momentum going into Super Today; Santorum has momentum. It’s time for the Santorum momentum talk to die. If you compete in 11 elections and win three while someone else wins 7 you cannot be said to have momentum in any meaningful way unless we’re talking about backward momentum. I agree there were not a lot of surprises last night, but Romney took a big step toward winning the nomination. He now has significantly more delegates than Santorum and Gingrich (who are basically tied), and it’ll be hard for anyone to catch him because most of the states award their delegates proportionally. While Santorum has embarrassed Romney a few times with close finishes, in the few states he has won, it’s been with only a plurality of the vote, which means he’s not getting too many more delegates than Romney. Romney has won some states by big margins. It looks like this is pretty much going to play out the way Obama-Clinton did in 2008: Obama ran up a lead, and while it was not a huge lead, it was too big for Clinton to overcome because of the way the nominating process works. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/88 "2012-03-07T21:39:16Z")
Santorum doesn’t have much momentum, but Not Romney is still rolling. Anyone notice that the Malign Sarah has allowed that she might just maybe be willing to accept the heartfelt pleas of her fellow Americans? Now, Lord, I know I’m basically no damn good, but seems to me we have a common interest here… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/89 "2012-03-07T21:46:01Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Anyone notice that the Malign Sarah has allowed that she might just maybe be willing to accept the heartfelt pleas of her fellow Americans? I’m attempting not to notice because there is no reason whatsoever for anyone to give a crap. She’s not running, nobody wants her, the campaign isn’t going to be thrown open at the convention, and she’s nobody’s idea of a compromise candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/90 "2012-03-07T21:57:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’m attempting not to notice because there is no reason whatsoever for anyone to give a crap. Even the very wise can not see all ends. My heart tells me that Sarah has some part to play yet, for good or ill… ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/91 "2012-03-07T21:59:34Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’m attempting not to notice because there is no reason whatsoever for anyone to give a crap. She’s not running, nobody wants her, the campaign isn’t going to be thrown open at the convention, and she’s nobody’s idea of a compromise candidate. Your analysis is entirely reasonable, sane, and rational. Therein lies the problem… ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/92 "2012-03-07T22:01:50Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Even the very wise can not see all ends. My heart tells me that Sarah has some part to play yet, for good or ill… Your heart must be broken (heh), because St. Sarah has no role other than self promotion. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/93 "2012-03-07T22:11:16Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Your heart must be broken (heh), because St. Sarah has no role other than self promotion. Even that can serve our ends. She can keep the Teahadists riled up, give them hope for a conservative alternative to Romney. If she can keep their hair on fire until the last moment, when Romney is nominated, it might enrage them to the point of doing something rash, like running a third party candidate that would split the Republican Party once and for all. Or, they will be so inconsolable, they won’t vote. I’m tellin’ ya, if anybody can do it, Sarah can. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/94 "2012-03-07T22:13:21Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Your heart must be broken (heh), because St. Sarah has no role other than self promotion. And that’s the thing: What could possibly sell more books and garner her larger Fox News contracts than the title “former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin?” Why, being “former \*presidential \*candidate Sarah Palin,” of course. Doesn’t matter if she has a Santorumsicle’s chance in hell of winning as a third-party candidate, simply running would make her richer and it would allow her braindead followers to stoke her massive ego for a few summer months. This isn’t about being a brokered candidate, or sane compromise, or anything like that. It’s about her. She will run if she thinks it could get her more money and attention, Republican Party be damned. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/95 "2012-03-07T22:39:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Even the very wise can not see all ends. My heart tells me that Sarah has some part to play yet, for good or ill… So, you think she might jump into a volcano? I’m OK with that. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/96 "2012-03-21T02:22:42Z")
Ok. Now it’s the primaries on April 24th and June 5th. It’s looking more and more like Romney. The question is: How much of a fight will Santorum put up? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546/97 "2012-03-21T03:40:04Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Even the very wise can not see all ends. My heart tells me that Sarah has some part to play yet, for good or ill… “Sanity? It was sanity that stayed America’s votes. The sanity of the voters may rule the fate of many.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-santorum-gingrich-paul-tomorrow-nights-cnn-debate-and-super-tuesday/613546.md?page=4)