Santorum Easily Takes Louisiana but Falls Well Short in Illinois
In the last southern primary until North Carolina in early May, Rick Santorum easily won Louisiana Saturday with almost 50 percent of the vote. Mitt Romney finished a not-so-close second with about 27 percent of the vote. Perhaps most importantly, Newt Gingrich finished a distant third at 16 percent, his worst finish in the south thus far.
Gingrich’s poor performance in Louisiana may spell the end of his campaign as he has fallen much too far behind to be considered a contender any more. The south, once considered Gingrich’s base after wins in South Carolina and Georgia, has warmed up to Santorum, who has now won Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana all in the last two weeks. Also, in Louisiana, Gingrich was unable to reach 25 percent, the minimum percentage of the vote in order to gain delegates. Any further effort by the Gingrich campaign appears to be futile at this point though statements from the campaign make it seem as if they have no plans of dropping out until after the April primaries.
Despite this win, the outlook for Santorum isn’t optimistic either. He had a chance to prove that he was a legitimate and electable candidate Tuesday in the Illinois primary but was unable to find the votes. Romney strolled to a comfortable double-digit victory in the state and cemented his place as the likely Republican nominee for President. Neither Santorum nor Gingrich haven shown any inclination that they will drop out any time soon but it seems only a matter of time before Romney is the last man standing. Also, Ron Paul is running… I think.
Health Care Goes Before the Supreme Court This Week
Arguments over the constitutionality of the recent health care reform pushed through by the Obama administration will be heard by the Supreme Court on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. The case is being brought on by 26 Republican-led states arguing that the use of the mandate in the reform is unconstitutional. The Obama administration argues back that previous court rulings support their use of the mandate and that the mandate is a necessary tool in regulating the health insurance industry.
The hearings come just as the Obama campaign began trying to reclaim the term “Obamacare” from conservatives, who have used the term to smear the reform. The campaign hit the facebook news feeds, email inboxes, and twitter feeds with pro-Obamacare propaganda in an effort to highlight the benefits of the health care law and turn the law from a political liability to a political asset.
A Quote That Will Haunt Romney in November
A Senior Advisor to the Romney campaign went on CNN Wednesday and compared Romney’s approach to the general election to an Etch-A-Sketch in that Romney can hit a reset button once the GOP primary is over. This comment is especially bad for Romney given his problem of proving to voters that his opinions aren’t entirely fueled by his desire to be President, but rather by his beliefs and principles. You can see the clip here.
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