Althouse: Mitt Romney wins the Maine caucuses.

February 11, 2012

Mitt Romney wins the Maine caucuses.

With 39%. Paul 36%. Santorum 18%. Gingrich 6%.

(Transcribed from the TV announcement.)

34 comments:

Mark O said...: That makes Santorum's life harder. Maybe Jonah's as well.; 2/11/12, 5:25 PM
Andy said...: Maybe the Republicans are stuck with Romney after all.

If they're going to lose, they might as well do it with the unlikable moderate that the Democrats and media have been rooting for.; 2/11/12, 5:25 PM
ricpic said...: Maine: practically the attic in Romney's house.; 2/11/12, 5:33 PM
rhhardin said...: Anybody but Obama.; 2/11/12, 5:34 PM
Wince said...: Is not taking the nomination by acclimation supposed to be unusual?

I support Mitt Romney. I don't love him.

Maybe we should stop trying to find politicians we can love?

Advice to the lovelorn, "He ain't out there."; 2/11/12, 5:54 PM
I Callahan said...: I'm gonna make a prediction - Santorum will win most red states, and Romney will win most blue states. It'll be close all the way to the end.; 2/11/12, 5:55 PM
edutcher said...: Milton also won the straw poll at CPAC.

That may have an even bigger effect.

Andy R. said...

Maybe the Republicans are stuck with Romney after all.

And the Demos are stuck with GodZero.

If that's the choice, Milton's odds aren't bad.

If they're going to lose, they might as well do it with the unlikable moderate that the Democrats and media have been rooting for.

As opposed to the hideously disliked Communist the Republicans knew they'd face?

Well, it's nice to see Hatman finally come out of the closet.

As it were.; 2/11/12, 5:57 PM
Ross said...: I guess Ron Paul won't be winning any states after all. His delegate strategy was interesting for sure though.; 2/11/12, 5:58 PM
shiloh said...: 2008 mittens got 51.9% ~ tonight 39.2% as mittens limps across the finish line still looking for love in all the wrong places. :-P; 2/11/12, 6:03 PM
John Stodder said...: This race is being judged like Olympic pairs skating. It's all about style points.; 2/11/12, 6:07 PM
Anonymous said...: This is my prediction.

Mitt will not win the nomination. He will be killed by Santorum, Newt, Palin, Bishops, etc. etc.

The GOP is a party that is playing with fire. They want to kill their own, as they believe they know the best.

They do not know Obama-Biden Billion Dollar Machine. They are so clueless that any kindergartener has more IQ than the entire GOP.

The irony is that there is NO VP wannabe for Santorum or Newt. No one really likes them. Newt is a fatty boy. Santorum is an angry-white boy. Who in the right mind will want to be their VP? They are made for each other. The ticket Santorum/Newt (or vice-a-versa) is what you are going to get.

Do you believe that Rick and Newt can win ONE state in the 50 States? If yes, then you are the most clueless person on the Planet.

Obama wins. If you want to bet, go there. Make money by voting against GOP.; 2/11/12, 6:08 PM
edutcher said...: Somebody tell AP the Obama-Biden Billion Dollar Machine doesn't exist.

A lot of GodZero's big money guys have defected to Milton.

And Rick and Newt won't be running.

And, if stuff like this is in our future, I don't think betting on your nearest Democrat for dog catcher is necessarily a wise investment.

PS Second time I've seen somebody point out this stat in a week.; 2/11/12, 6:15 PM
I ♥ Willard said...: Willard proves once again that he is a winner!; 2/11/12, 6:18 PM
Mark O said...: I am not an adherent of the First Church of Palin, Sarah. I defended her during the last election and made an effort to reconstruct some of her more inane and silly rookie statements. She was not a help in the election. Since then, she has profited mightily from her celebrity and taken to writing out her criticisms on a Facebook account. All of that leads me to think she might have had some help so as not to appear the naïf.
Today, she too, urged the GOP to continue its internecine bloodletting, seeking a brokered convention. In so doing, she claimed those who do not agree with her agenda have, what she called, “an agenda.” By August, the election will effectively be won by Obama if all the Republicans can do is fight among themselves, mortally wounding each other. If she thinks she can slide in and win, she’s simply deluded by her grandiosity.; 2/11/12, 6:22 PM
edutcher said...: Mark, that's not going to happen.

Santorum may go a little longer - the fuss over the contraception mandate may keep him afloat, but this isn't going to the Fall.

And I agree Miss Sarah has done herself some damage - not irreparable - in the name of maintaining her street cred with some in the Rightosphere.

A few weeks and people will remember who the real enemy is.; 2/11/12, 6:34 PM
Anonymous said...: You all are clueless. There is NO WAY now that GOP can win the election. The damage done by GOP, Bishops, Newt, Santorum, Perry, Palin, etc. etc. cannot be undone.

Mitt will not win. He will be killed by them. If there is a miracle and he survives, then he is DEAD MAN WALKING.

So, make money by betting in Las Vegas. Bet for Obama-Biden Billion Dollar Machine to win in all states against Rick/Newt.

This election was in the bag. But, then again, we forgot that GOP has no brains or has their asses as their brains.; 2/11/12, 6:38 PM
SteveR said...: Excitement, panic, intrigue, uncertainty, panic, fear, conspiracies. Oh my!; 2/11/12, 7:23 PM
JohnJ said...: “Milton also won the straw poll at CPAC. That may have an even bigger effect.”

It certainly is more meaningful. I thought his speech there was compelling (even with the occasional awkward phrasing). It’s likely that the conservative base simply wants to be reassured that Romney can take control of this thing and win it. There really are no other viable options.

“You all are clueless. There is NO WAY now that GOP can win the election.”

Nonsense.

It’s a bit of a longshot. But, with a few breaks, a well-run campaign, and unemployment over 8%--Romney wins!; 2/11/12, 7:28 PM
ricpic said...: Such stridency, AP. Methinks thou doth brag it's in the bag too much.; 2/11/12, 7:39 PM
shiloh said...: Apologies to kindergarten kids.; 2/11/12, 8:25 PM
Kelvin said...: I presume these numbers are based on the "Straw Polls" or "Presidential Preference Polls." If so, I believe that when the delegates are actually elected to the national GOP convention, Ron Paul will have the majority. This is because while Mr. Romney may have gotten a slight majority in the straw polls, I Believe that Dr. Paul will end up having won more delegates. These delegates are the ones who will end up selecting the state's delegates to the National convention.; 2/11/12, 8:26 PM
K T Cat said...: He beat Ron Paul by 3? Wow. That's pretty weak.; 2/11/12, 9:01 PM
Penny said...: This is a marathon, and not a sprint.

Cheering from the sidelines seems the least we can do given the extraordinary effort on the part of each and every participant.

Should your personal favorite drop back, drop off or even drop out, at least have enough respect to not fold up your lawn chair and go home prematurely. They're all running for America.; 2/11/12, 9:59 PM
yashu said...: Penny, that's a gracious thing to say. And true.

As disappointed as we may be with any or all of the candidates, at least they had the cojones to run. They put themselves through primary purgatory. Which is more than can be said of any of the fantasy candidates people dream would emerge from a fantasy of a brokered convention.; 2/11/12, 10:52 PM
Alias Free said...: One sees national polling for these four candidates versus Obama and finds Dr. Paul often at or near the top. Assuming he isn't the nominee, but changed his mind to run as an independent due to poor polling for the actual nominee, he could feasibly become the winner. That would be something Republicans ought to be able to live with. Let congress declare war if necessary, he'll prosecute it. Ok, don't get angry, just sayin'.; 2/12/12, 12:46 AM
a psychiatrist who learned from veterans said...: Santorum could kick some sanctimonious, secular leftist butt. Taking a vacation from that maybe he and grandma Mimi could spend a week on Survivor island in the middle of the campaign, and he wouldn't be dour. At least that would take the moral superiority out of the current administration, and then we could wander in the desert for four more years hoping to find employment.; 2/12/12, 2:33 AM
MDIJim said...: My state's Republicans are weird but they have always been scrupulously honest and sensible. Romney may have changed that.

The GOP caucuses were a meaningless straw poll held in some places and not in others. It was a perfect scenario for Paul because there is a wide libertarian streak in Maine. The Romney-runners seemed to have realized that and pulled out all stops to prevent it.

The Paulistas need to complain loudly about the jobbery in Washington county. The weather service was predicting a big snow storm for downeast Maine. That gave the GOP a perfect excuse for cancelling the caucus. The snow storm was a dud - about 4" of snow at my house in next door Hancock county. The Republican chairman announced that Washington county's caucuses next week will not be counted.

This smells fishy and it comes from people who make an all cash income from fishing and logging.; 2/12/12, 2:55 AM
Revenant said...: Were these binding caucuses? I was thinking of looking it up but then I forgot to care.; 2/12/12, 3:39 AM
SecondComingOfBast said...: Too bad the Maine straw poll didn't mean jack shit, seeing as how Santorum didn't bother to campaign there and all. And who gives a big shit how many people Mitt's people bribed at CPAC? If we nominate Mitt, we deserve to lose. The country won't deserve the consequences of our loss, but there it is. This is a country where 61% of the people believe insurance companies should be FORCED to offer birth control coverage, so fuck it, maybe the country does deserve the consequences.; 2/12/12, 5:26 AM
DPeterson said...: Some comments from a Mainer:
I saw Romney Friday night in Portland--he wasn't 'Robocandidate'.
He connected with the crowd, handled some hecklers with ease, and raised enthusiasm.
You must remember--Maine is the state that chose Perot over Bush 1
back in'92 (and we all know how well that worked out).
The Paul supporters went all out in Maine, and they stil couldn't knock out Romney--how do you think Paul would do in the Fall against the Billion Dollar ZeroGod (great line, I'm stealing it)?
After Friday, I went from tepid to committed for Romney.; 2/12/12, 7:15 AM
Mid-Life Lawyer said...: Penny:

"This is a marathon, and not a sprint.

Cheering from the sidelines seems the least we can do given the extraordinary effort on the part of each and every participant.

Should your personal favorite drop back, drop off or even drop out, at least have enough respect to not fold up your lawn chair and go home prematurely. They're all running for America."

Lovely. And very true.; 2/12/12, 7:30 AM
Ritchie The Riveter said...: I know that many pro-Romney people are wondering what is wrong with people like myself, who are reluctant to support him ... even to the point of looking forward to a brokered convention.

What is driving my reluctance to support Mr. Romney is the same motivation that led me to the Tea Party movement: reliance on government "expertise" and institutional-party politics-as-usual have led us to the wrong answers in governance -- and we don't have any more slack in our society/economy to continue these practices and expect to avoid permanent decline.

Mr. Romney and his campaign have given me very little evidence that makes me think they understand this motivation, let alone are sincere in addressing it ... they appear they would have no problem letting these practices continue in many areas.

For me, reversing that perception and earning my trust would start with two admissions -- and this doesn't just go for Mr. Romney, but for any candidate:

First, a clear admission that he understands that the vast majority of problem-solving responsibility is OURS, as individuals and neighbors -- and that he will NOT continue this nation's reliance on technocrats and bureaucrats and crony contractors to solve our problems FOR us -- to the point that he is totally committed to getting Washington DC out of OUR portion of this work. Repealing Obamacare is just a start on this area, BTW.

Second, an admission that the big-money media manipulation that is part and parcel of politics-as-usual is a disservice to this nation, divert our attention from the need for quality governance after the election, and that the professionals in his own party have been part of the problem.

Then, instead of smears of his opponents and paeans to his personality, his ads and speeches start dealing with the fundamental issues facing this nation, not with simplistic sound bytes, but with concise explanations of WHY these are problems and HOW he will deal with them -- even if it means telling us hard truths that might lead some to vote for his opponent out of simplistic emotion or selfish interest.

In other words, he needs to exhibit an independence and intellectual honesty that puts some distance between himself and some of the very people he has relied on, to date, for support -- proving that he understands and accepts the view that politics-as-usual is a big part of the problem, not the solution.

Winning is only half the the problem ... assuring quality governance after the win, is the other half. And we don't have the time and resources any longer to ignore that second half, and have leaders that kick the cans down the road some more.; 2/12/12, 8:34 AM
I ♥ Willard said...: I'm quite pleased that Willard got the big victory in Maine that he needed. Willard has now won in 4 of the 9 state contests, proving that he fully deserves to be considered the front-runner. I wish little Ricky would realize that he can't win anymore and concede the nomination to Willard.; 2/12/12, 8:38 AM
master cylinder said...: 5500 votes.....ummmmmm?; 2/12/12, 10:09 AM