The Republicans have met in the state that still flies the Confederate flag and made their choice for their nominee for President. If we can depend on the results, which I do not think we can, then Newt Gingrich won it in a landslide, trouncing Mitt Romney. The SC win was especially valuable for Gingrich, because SC is one of the states that are still winner take all.
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich scored an easy victory Saturday in the South Carolina primary, blowing a hole in former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s aura of inevitability.
The result marked a swift and extraordinary turnaround in Gingrich’s fortunes — thanks largely to strong performances in two debates, in which he appealed to the state’s strident conservatism and threw Romney off his stride.
After disappointing distant finishes in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, Gingrich had limped into South Carolina more than 10 points down in most polls. So battered was his candidacy that Gingrich himself had conceded that his campaign might be over if he failed to turn in a strong performance.
His victory not only changes the near-term dynamic of this presidential campaign but also defies political history. South Carolina is known as a firewall for the GOP establishment in presidential contests, traditionally extinguishing not fueling the hopes of insurgent candidates such as Gingrich…
Inserted from <Washington Post>
Here are the results taken with 99% of the votes counted.
South Carolina
Goose Stepper
Votes
Percent
Delegates
Gingrich
239,682
40%
23
Romney
165,354
28%
0
Santorum
100,968
17%
0
Paul
77,293
13%
0
Total
583,297
And here is the Republican delegate count.
Delegates
Romney
31
Gingrich
26
Paul
10
Santorum
8
Note that the count includes RNC delegates from party leaders. The Democrats have Super Delegates that are the same. These delegates influence the selection of the nominee regardless of voters’ wishes.
One thing that concerns me is that we have absolutely no idea whether or not the vote count was accurate. Given South Carolina’s pattern of unethical behavior, it is certainly possible that the results were determined before any voter entered a voting booth.
…And now we come to the "First-in-the-South" Republican primary in South Carolina, where all evidence of how voters vote disappears entirely as the voters will be forced across the entire state to vote on easily-manipulated, oft-failed, 100% unverifiable touch-screen voting systems made by the nation’s largest voting machine company, ES&S. When the machine-reported results are announced tomorrow night they will either be accurate or not. Either way, there will never be a way for anybody to know one way or the other as there will be nothing to prove how voters voted and nothing to "recount", even if anybody wanted to.
Appropriately enough, perhaps, Saturday’s primary in the Palmetto State will offer 100% "faith-based" voting, since it will be scientifically impossible to prove that even a single vote for any candidate on the ballot has been recorded accurately by the ES&S iVotronic touch-screens as per any voter’s intent. Known [sic] what we mean, Alvin Greene?…
The machines that will be in use on Saturday in South Carolina are the very same ones that reported an unknown, unemployed, seemingly-illiterate man named Alvin Greene — who had done no campaigning, had no campaign staff, had no campaign money and no campaign website — had unverifiably defeated Vic Rawl, a four-term state legislator and circuit court judge who had campaigned and raised money across the entire state, for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
They are the same brand and model of machines (some of them, quite literally, the very same physical machines!) that were used in Florida’s contested Congressional District 13 race for the U.S. Congress in 2006 when they inexplicably lost some 18,000 votes in a race ultimately awarded to the Republican candidate Vern Buchanan over Democrat Christine Jennings by just 369 votes… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Truth-Out>
Now I’m not claiming that the election was rigged. I am claiming that there is no way to verify that it is not. The same party that demands that minority voters be disenfranchised to “protect the integrity” of the vote has opted to make votes unverifiable. So much for their integrity lie.
So as we head into Florida, Santorum has Iowa, RMoney (thanks Nameless) has New Hampshire, and Gingrich has South Carolina. May the fight be long, bloody and expensive! The only remaining goose stepper who does not have a state is Ron Paul, who never mattered and never will.
29 Responses to “If Accurate, Newt Gingrich Newtered Mitt Romney”
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That photo of Newt Gangrene is so perfect and should be the quintessential Newt Gangrene photo used for all time, everywhere. It sums up his “me first, you – not at all” personality to a T. May the next 2 successful goose steppers be Paul and “Google Me” Santorum. Hilarious.
Correction: Nay goose steppers always fail! 😀
The SC win was especially valuable for Gingrich, because SC is one of the states that are still winner take all.
Actually, there are 11 delegates awarded state-wide and 2 for each of the 7 Congressional districts (25 total). Of course, that may not make any practical difference — with such a huge margin, Gingrich may well have won each district.
I think it’s really unlikely that the vote was rigged in Gingrich’s favor. The Republican establishment is terrified of him derailing Romney. They know he’s far less likely to prevail against Obama in the general election than Romney is.
Thanks for the clarification, Infidel. I thought it was winner take all because I saw all in Newters column, and had it been proportional, Mitt would have had some. Leave it to SC.
I agree. My point is why we cannot know for certain, and it troubles me that such machines, under Republican control, will be used in November.
You should have heard his “victory” speech. I almost had to use the barf bag.
You’re right Patty – I thought I was watching the golden globes – MSNBC (can’t remember who said it) “a performance worthy of Meryl Streep”!
I did, Patty. Are you coming to clean my screen and keyboard?
Good thing it wasn’t Perry. He’d forget who he had to thank!
Since Rmoney was so soundly thrashed by Gingrich – and since the U.S. of A. is clearly not good enough for his money – I suggest that Mitt run for the President of the Cayman Islands.
Rmoney
Is that a typo? Cause I really like it and think I will spell it this way from now on. R-money (right wing money). Suits him perfectly.
Nope, not a typo. I decided a bit back that, that was how I’m spelling his name from now on. And while on the subject of money, it was a bit encouraging to hear Mitt will release his 2010 Income Tax Returns. A nice “gesture” – but …
I stole it too!! 😈
Good idea!
Well South Carolina really lives up to its reputation – the first State to truly invest in slave trade (Uncle Ben’s Rice), the first bullet of the Civil War to be fired (Fort Sumter)- home of the Jim Crow Laws – and it still maintains its unique identity! long live Strom! may the confederate flag forever wave – I’m just surprised a Catholic could make it there – I suppose since he wasn’t always a “born again – I guess” – he’s given a little license, and since he has sort of an “in-breed” type of personality – they can relate to the newt! This state should never have been readmitted into the nation after it seceded in 1861 – it is the single most dispicable “bain” of US history – and a disgrace to any thoughtful American – so Gingrich certainly deserves every repulsive delegate that state has to offer – What a distinction!
Shorter South Carolina: “Yeah, so he’s a serial adulterer. Whatever. Least he ain’t no Mormon!”
LMAO!
Very interesting to see how Romney captured ONLY the votes of those making more than $250K per year, and that NUT Gingrich has apparently sold GOP voters on his equally plutocratic, pseudo-populist line of absolute garbage. Ingeniously cynical and still racist, Gingrich!
I was also interested to see that the turnout was about 1/5 of the registered voters.
So, Newty won that round. I guess the psuedo Christian forgiveness thing is stronger than I thought given all the other lapses in the real Christian values I’ve seen coming from the psuedos. Either that or their psuedo Christian love of a Mormon (NOT!!!!!) is stronger than the forgiveness. Whatever, these Republican/Teabaggers make me sick with their lies, deceit, double standards and hypocrisy! (I know there is some in all of politics)
And those damned voting machines! Let them use the whitewash versions that allow more election fraud in the state and local contests if they really want to, but this is yet another reason that in federal elections, there should be consistency and transparency. States rights be damned when it comes to federal elections. To ensure some modicum of fairness, the system in every state, the rules, the procedures, the machines used should all be the same. After all, this is the whole US that we are talking about, a country that has in the past be thought of as the bastion of democracy. If the US can’t have consistency, fairness and transparency in their own wlections, then how can they monitor those of other countries.
On to Florida and more games.
Something I just found while looking at another story. “Mr Obama’s reaction to hearing that Newty won SC.”
Lynn, love the pic.
You got the point that what mattered was not who won but the type of machines in use. It’s no surprise that Democrats want machines with a paper trail and Republicans do not, yet Republicans re the ones that insist fraud is a problem.
Damn, man, you know how I feel about those damn things and how they can be made to lie straighter than a rug! ARRGGGHHHH!!!!!
Me too!
That WaPo piece is so stolen. Thanks!
I don’t know what is more funny Romney the corporate elite president or Newt the white mans president? I think we should throw a party for Obama/Biden 2012. Oh wait the Koch Brothers/tea party and Karl Rove superpacks will be what will take down Obama? That will be there only hope. It is already starting http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/obama-fights-back-against-koch-brothers-in-new-ad/.
Thanks, Mama. I’ve seen it televised locally.
Commenters on a Republican site I read are now citing a poll showing Gingrich tied with Romney among Republicans in Florida. If Gingrich wins the Florida primary all Hell will break loose.
They are seriously divided over this. Some realize that a Gingrich nomination would result in an Obama landslide, others are still deep in denial. I’ve even seen a few Republicans say they’ll vote for Obama if Gingrich is the nominee.
Even if Romney’s ultimately nominated, he’s doing to be weakened by the battle with Gingrich, and the Republicans will be badly split.
Pass the popcorn.
Your analysis is excellent, and your last line speaks volumes.
When Newt becomes President, the first thing he shoud do is endow a chair in the White House Press Briefing Room to John King.
Welcome RP! 🙂
Brilliant thought!