THE MITT ROMNEY CRISIS transcends the seven straight national polls showing Rick Santorum in the lead. It goes beyond the embarrassing reality that the son of an auto executive and two-term governor has been behind in every Michigan poll conducted since Groundhog’s Day. Even more devastating for Romney is that elite Republicans have begun to conclude that he cannot, if nominated, beat Barack Obama. About the only argument that still works for Romney among GOP insiders is that he would be less of a drag on the ticket than the strident Santorum or the mercurial Newt Gingrich. – Walter Shapiro
The “tightening” showing Romney ‘closing” on Rick Santorum is a story line Mitt Romney’s campaign never thought they’d face.
The Republican race for President in Michigan has tightened considerably over the last week, with what was a 15 point lead for Rick Santorum down to 4. He leads with 37% to 33% for Mitt Romney, 15% for Ron Paul, and 10% for Newt Gingrich.
The tightening over the last week is much more a function of Romney gaining than Santorum falling. Santorum’s favorability spread of 67/23 has seen no change since our last poll, and his share of the vote has dropped only 2 points from 39% to 37%. Romney meanwhile has seen his net favorability improve 10 points from +10 (49/39) to +20 (55/35) and his vote share go from 24% to 33%.
There’s a debate on CNN Wednesday, which Erickson is proclaiming will likely be the last Republican debate.
This entire week will be spent watching Romney in Michigan. The biographical ads are working, helping his favorability, which has taken a direct hit through Romney’s carpet bombing negative ads.
I’m also not convinced that Rick Santorum’s new social issue insanity, which has now come down on prenatal screening as a means to “cull ranks of disabled,” is going to wear very well this week.
Santorum recalled his prominent role in the 1990s debates over the controversial procedure that critics call partial-birth abortion. He lambasted the president’s health care law requiring insurance policies to include free prenatal testing, “because free prenatal testing ends up in more abortions and therefore less care that has to be done because we cull the ranks of the disabled in our society.”
Rick Santorum cannot imagine prenatal screenings being for the mother and child, because religious conservatives believe the women is less of a person and basically a host for the developing zygote.
Republicans have to know this man can’t win against Pres. Obama, but it does reveal how very desperately Republican primary voters still don’t want Mitt Romney.
This post has been updated.
Oy. PPP says Mitt having some surge in MI, but Santo gaining ground in other states like AZ. The power of money at work for mitt I suppose- although Santo has beat mit in Iowa etc
Mornin’ Art.
Romney’s hitting Santorum on being a big gov. Republican & anything but a fiscal conservative, while Ricky boy rails about prenatal screenings that reduce women to infant hostess.  It’s obscene.
The Obama campaign might want to throw a party for Santorum. Or better, for the whole GOP debacle. Among many other things, the Republican wannabe’s are making it very easy for Obama to look “progressive.”
yep. it is a wackamole for mitt. even if he surges in MI enough he has az and other states where santo is urging big right now. tx poll out today has santo with major lead at 45 pct. mitt is 18! now if only we had a date for the primary in tx yet!
You ended with what I was thinking about: that unknown primary date.
(1) Does anyone know if there is a reliable poll out there that breaks down the reason why people are voting or will vote for Pope Rick.  I would really like to know the percentage who voted for him or will vote for him because of his facacta pronouncements re/social issues?
(2) Why hasn’t Texas come up with a primary date yet?
(3) Does anyone know why a few states have a caucus and a primary? I tried to google this but came up empty. .
Mitt coming out against the bailout of the auto industry by the Obama administration despite its success and the fact that it has helped save jobs does not help. His position is even more disturbing when set against his background as a vulture capitalist who believes in the virtues of ‘creative destruction’… as long as the job destroyed belongs to someone else.
The fix is in. The elites are already getting every single thing they want from Obama–who cares what the ordinary citizens want from their government. It’s all just a ploy to make it seem as though there is some sort of actual competition going on, but there isn’t. Right-winger Obama is reelected, “entitlements” are “fixed”, the economy continues to benefit the 0.01%, and so on and so on. This is the most fake of fake choices in an election that I have ever seen, because they know it is going to be Romney and he is being “neutered” during the… Read more »
There are some people who would benefit from reading Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.
Yes, that Atwood book is devastating to read. It was labeled science fiction when published.  Never thought it could even be remotely prescient.  If nothing else, it should add to our current awakening to stop taking all of our hard won rights including Roe and gay rights (and of course, gays are criminalized in the book) for granted any longer. I’m also not giving anything away by saying that the world depicted in that novel started with a religious-male coup. And, heterosexuality as depicted in the book especially in conceiving a child is highly disturbing and shocking which is… Read more »
Just googled the book and the story. Sounds really interesting, will add it to my to read list.