Santorum takes Oklahoma; Really?

[East Coast Bias]

I try and get a feel for Oklahoma politics based on what I see on this board. It seems no more here is beating the drum for Santorum? What am I missing, is this the Oral Roberts factor?Does this vote represent Romney's failure in the South or the Tea-Party?I understand the anyone but Barrack mentality, but what about the other candidates?

[Chuck Bao]

Good question. I don't have a clue about it either.

After Santorum's near (at that time) victory in Iowa, I overheard my mom talking on the phone that Santorum may be the Christian choice. I couldn't get her to explain it.

Maybe, it's because he isn't a Mormon. Maybe, it's because he isn't such an obvious scumbag cheating on multiple ex-wives. Maybe, it's because of his anti-gay, pro-Israeli (let's go bomb the crap outta Iran) rhetoric. Maybe, it's because God has blessed him with good hair.

[badger]

I think that to understand why Santorum won, you'd have to be here.

There was one candidate that really seemed to focus on Oklahoma on the Republican side, and that was Santorum.

No other candidate spent the amount of time and resources in Oklahoma that Santorum did, and I think that the state appreciated not being ignored in favor of the larger prizes of Super Tuesday (read: Ohio).

When Santorum first came to speak in Tulsa, he was just coming off a victory and I think people were just curious at the time about who the eff this guy was. What was originally going to be a tiny town hall near ORU's campus was moved a few times till it ended up in their big ol' basketball stadium (Mabee Center) to a crowd of thousands.

I don't remember any of the other candidates getting that type of response when they came to Oklahoma, and in some cases, I think they only came to raise funds early-on, like Herman Cain and Rick Perry (although Cain came back earlier this week to campaign for Newt with JC Watts here in Tulsa).

In a nutshell, I would have to say that Oklahoma is sick and tired of being ignored, and thus, vote for the candidates that show any semblance of interest in the state.

Now, you might argue that if Oklahoma wants to be less ignored, it should stop being a rubber stamp for whoever the Republican nominee is and become a more divided battleground swing state like the rust belt tends to be. That just isn't going to happen till Democrats can rally and lead like they once did here. After reports of previous education admin officials throwing beer keg parties and the likes of David Walters, not to mention all of the hate for the national party officials from Obama to others, I'm not sure state voters are ready to turn the slightest shade of blue, even in more urban areas like Tulsa or OKC with at least some hardcore Dems around.

[Chuck Bao]

In my opinion, Santorum really didn't even need to visit Oklahoma to win the state. I'm don't have to live in OKC/Tulsa to know that. It's pretty arrogant for Tulsa to think that it matters so much to the rest of the state when it isn't ignored. Ahem, Southern Oklahoma doesn't get Tulsa TV stations. How many counties did Santorum visit and how many counties did he carry? Whatever it is, it is just not that.

[badger]

In my opinion, Santorum really didn't even need to visit Oklahoma to win the state. I'm don't have to live in OKC/Tulsa to know that. It's pretty arrogant for Tulsa to think that it matters so much to the rest of the state when it isn't ignored. Ahem, Southern Oklahoma doesn't get Tulsa TV stations. How many counties did Santorum visit and how many counties did he carry? Whatever it is, it is just not that.

Forgive my Tulsa arrogance :P

I just mentioned those appearances because those were the ones I was most familiar with. The campaign wasn't limited to Santorum appearances in Tulsa, but he also did a few elsewhere (a few in OKC I can name specifically off-hand) and their campaign efforts as far as yard signs, robocalls, radio ads, mailers, you name it, they got their candidate's message out there more than any other candidate.

I think that if any candidate focused as much on Oklahoma as Santorum did, stressing how important Oklahoma was like he did, they would have had stronger showings in this state.

Now... would they have won it? Maybe. Possibly not. But I really think it helped Santorum to actually give a damn about this state's voters.

[okie52]

In my opinion, Santorum really didn't even need to visit Oklahoma to win the state. I'm don't have to live in OKC/Tulsa to know that. It's pretty arrogant for Tulsa to think that it matters so much to the rest of the state when it isn't ignored. Ahem, Southern Oklahoma doesn't get Tulsa TV stations. How many counties did Santorum visit and how many counties did he carry? Whatever it is, it is just not that.

Ardmore is God's country.

[Chuck Bao]

Ardmore is God's country.

I have a man crush on you, Okie. God's country needs more pipelines.

[ouwasp]

I'm in the ABO crown; whoever the GOP nominates will get my vote.

I was set to vote Romney because I think he has the best (slim) chance of winning in November. But I ended up voting for Santorum because he declared Oklahoma to be his "adopted home state" for Super Tuesday. It's kinda shallow reasoning, but sounded good. so I figured "why not"? Plus, it made my Dad happy that we didn't vote for different candidates. He's not gonna vote for a Mormon... now or in November.

[okie52]

I have a man crush on you, Okie. God's country needs more pipelines.

Absolutely...although we have quite a few around there right now. Old oil and gas lines that have been there for 50-70 years.

Did you grow up around big A?

[sooner_born_1960]

I didn't even realize he's been to Oklahoma. I voted for him because he seemed less the scumbag as the others.

[Chuck Bao]

Absolutely...although we have quite a few around there right now. Old oil and gas lines that have been there for 50-70 years.

Did you grow up around big A?

Yeah, my family has been in Marshall Co for a hundred years or more. That is my home.

It is pretty exciting now that the energy companies are building pipelines to market the natural gas. If they do find stuff and able to market it, I only wish that my dad and granddad were here to see it.

[Chuck Bao]

I didn't even realize he's been to Oklahoma. I voted for him because he seemed less the scumbag as the others.

Heh! That is exactly what I heard others say.

Ahem...take THAT as a further ignore, Tulsa. Not that that is really the issue. I think it is more about the "less scumbaggage".

[okie52]

Yeah, my family has been in Marshall Co for a hundred years or more. That is my home.

It is pretty exciting now that the energy companies are building pipelines to market the natural gas. If they do find stuff and able to market it, I only wish that my dad and granddad were here to see it.

Been to a couple of sand bass festivals many years ago. Always fun.

[ictsooner7]

I got a robo call for santorum in Kansas, I have no idea how he got my number or why he would call a registered democrat.

[Sooner5030]

Does Santorum winning provide even further proof that OKC > Tulsa?

Somehow I think so.

[TUSooner]

It's pretty simple -- TOO simple. Sanctimorium said God wants him to be Prez, and Okies always do what handsome guys in nice suits tell them that God wants, no matter how much it hurts... others.

Yes, that was mean and facetious; but get over it! :wink:

[LiveLaughLove]

He won Oklahoma for one main reason, RomneyCare.

[Midtowner]

He won Oklahoma for one main reason, RomneyCare.

I thought the official righty position was that the states should be able to determine how they handle their own healthcare systems?

[badger]

Does Santorum winning provide even further proof that OKC > Tulsa?

Somehow I think so.

hey, we had our own Santorum heckler locally too! I posted videos of BOTH hecklings, thank you very much! :P

[Ton Loc]

I think it was the hair. Plus, we're real easy here in Oklahoma. Just throw out a little god-talk, second home bs rheatoric and you win. It doesn't take much to butter us up and take us home.

[badger]

:mad: OK, I concede on this day only and on this issue only that OKC > Tulsa. :mad:

U7pv7sO5Gng

Guess where these girls are from. It isn't OKC :mad:

[LiveLaughLove]

I thought the official righty position was that the states should be able to determine how they handle their own healthcare systems?

I voted for Romney, so I guess it didn't bother me. I'm just telling you what I heard, and the fact that Romney created that puts a lot of conservatives off.

I don't trust Santorum because of the Toomey/Spectre thing from Pennsylvania. Plus, he has been successfully caricatured by the media so as to be ineffectual now. They get at least one every campaign season.

They vet the heck out of conservatives and completely ignore and even defend liberals. It is what it is.

[soonercoop1]

I try and get a feel for Oklahoma politics based on what I see on this board. It seems no more here is beating the drum for Santorum? What am I missing, is this the Oral Roberts factor?Does this vote represent Romney's failure in the South or the Tea-Party?I understand the anyone but Barrack mentality, but what about the other candidates?

Romney is a huge failure as many realize what he is...the proverbial lesser of two evils once again...

[soonercruiser]

I think that Barney's Frank could win most of the eastern states, and Cal-E-Fo-Knee-A without breaking a sweat.
Unless......:tennis:...the sweat, I mean....

[hawaii 5-0]

They vet the heck out of conservatives and completely ignore and even defend liberals. It is what it is.



I saw a lot of vetting on Fox today. And it sure wasn't the conservatives being vetted.

Lots of whining too, just like on this Bored.

5-0

[Soonerus]

As a footnote Obama lost 2 or 3 counties in Oklahoma to nobodies...funny...

[Midtowner]

They vet the heck out of conservatives and completely ignore and even defend liberals. It is what it is.

It's only reasonable to go back so far. I mean Bush wasn't portrayed as an out-of-control rich kid/coke fiend/alcoholic, was he? So at one time, Obama was wwaaaaayyy left of center from where he is now. In college, I used to be completely in favor of simply dispensing of ALL social welfare, passing out a lot of guns and letting our entitlement society handle itself in a more Darwinian manner. People change.

The fact is that no matter where you think the President is, he's governed from the center-right. Health care has to be fixed in this country. Status quo is not an option. We're spending double or more on our system for the same (or worse) results. We can't do nothing.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

:mad: OK, I concede on this day only and on this issue only that OKC > Tulsa. :mad:

U7pv7sO5Gng

Guess where these girls are from. It isn't OKC :mad:

They remind me of Aly and AJ

[SoonerorLater]

It's only reasonable to go back so far. I mean Bush wasn't portrayed as an out-of-control rich kid/coke fiend/alcoholic, was he? So at one time, Obama was wwaaaaayyy left of center from where he is now. In college, I used to be completely in favor of simply dispensing of ALL social welfare, passing out a lot of guns and letting our entitlement society handle itself in a more Darwinian manner. People change.

The fact is that no matter where you think the President is, he's governed from the center-right. Health care has to be fixed in this country. Status quo is not an option. We're spending double or more on our system for the same (or worse) results. We can't do nothing.

"he's governed from the center-right' - Say What?

[XingTheRubicon]

I thought the official righty position was that the states should be able to determine how they handle their own healthcare systems?

This is something that I can't believe Romney hasn't mentioned. Every time it's mentioned he should shove it right in their face, but he just stammers and back peddles. WGAF what Massachusetts does if Oklahoma can choose a more self-reliant plan.

[SoonerorLater]

This is something that I can't believe Romney hasn't mentioned. Every time it's mentioned he should shove it right in their face, but he just stammers and back peddles. WGAF what Massachusetts does if Oklahoma can choose a more self-reliant plan.


And you most likely never will. This isn't an inadvertent miscue on Romney's part and a reason why no conservative or libertarian should vote for Romney. Romney is first and foremost an elitist / globalist. He will NEVER present a States Rights' Aurgument.

[okie52]

"he's governed from the center-right' - Say What?

Well that is a bit of a stretch. Left of center would seem a little more accurate although Obama definitely hasn't achieved many of his far left campaign promises.

[soonerhubs]

I found this interesting. I'd prefer Ron Paul, but are candidates holding onto a false hope way late in the game? Is it time to bow out in a classy fashion? Thoughts?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/believe-it-romneys-a-winner/2012/03/09/gIQAyxqO1R_story.html?hpid=z2


It’s time to believe: Romney’s a winner

By Dana Milbank, Published: March 9

The reviews of Mitt Romney’s Super Tuesday performance were murderous.

The Wall Street Journal judged that “voters failed to deliver a decisive victory” to Romney.

Fox News reported that the “Super Tuesday results ensure the protracted and unpredictable GOP primary contest will press onward.”

Romney “missed his opportunity to put to rest doubts about his strength as a candidate,” reported Politico’s Alexander Burns.

The Atlantic’s Molly Ball reported that Rick Santorum “had clearly given Romney a bad scare, and it was enough for him to claim a moral victory.”

The obituaries evidently had an impact. In a Washingtonpost.com survey, readers were asked who “had the best Super Tuesday,” and fully 50 percent said it hadn’t been Romney.

But the question of who had the best Super Tuesday is a matter of fact, not opinion: Romney did.

He won six of 10 states, including Ohio, the night’s marquee contest. His win rate was higher than John McCain’s in 2008 on a night that all but clinched the GOP nomination. He has won about 40 percent of the delegates he needs to win the nomination and has more than twice as many as Santorum, his nearest competitor. And the party’s new system requiring the proportional awarding of delegates, though it has slowed Romney’s coronation, now makes it essentially impossible for anybody to catch him.

The fact that Romney is still viewed to be in danger of losing the nomination says less about him than it does about the media. We have turned him into Candidate Sisyphus, providing him with a plentiful supply of boulders to push uphill. First it was make-or-break New Hampshire, then must-win Florida, then do-or-die Michigan and game-changing Ohio. Each time Romney prevails, we assign him a new test.

Part of this is our bias in favor of conflict. I’ve been as guilty as the rest in attempting to extend this primary season, even pleading with Newt Gingrich to fight on, strictly for my personal enjoyment. But the reluctance to acknowledge Romney’s inevitability also reflects media antipathy toward this boring candidate — the flip side of 2008, when journalists brayed for Hillary Clinton to abandon her fight against Barack Obama, the media’s preferred candidate. Chuck Todd and his NBC colleagues blogged this week that Romney is “certainly losing style points by barely beating Santorum in states like Michigan and Ohio,” akin to a “top-ranked college football team winning a squeaker against an unranked opponent.”

Only in American politics is a win not a win — a phenomenon that is puzzling the rest of the world. “Mitt Romney wins six on Super Tuesday but gets labeled a loser,” observed Britain’s Daily Mail. Discussing the phenomenon over lunch on Thursday, Gregor Schmitz of Germany’s Der Spiegel news magazine told me that the U.S. media’s propping up of Romney’s opponents is “intellectually insulting” to viewers and readers.

He’s right. On Intrade, the online market where people put money behind their opinions, Romney as of Friday night was given an 86 percent chance of winning the nomination; Santorum, in second place, had a 3.2 percent likelihood. That sounds about right to me. It’s theoretically possible for Romney to lose, but we owe our audiences more than hype about theoretical possibilities and juiced-up storylines.

“Some are calling New Hampshire a must-win race for Team Romney,” Fox’s Mark Steyn reported in late December. Romney won that must-win.

“I do not like making dramatic statements, but Florida is make it or break it for Mitt Romney,” National Journal’s Charlie Cook said in January. Romney made it.

“Michigan may be Romney’s last stand,” CBS News reported. Romney stood.

ABC News included Arizona in its “make-or-break week” for Romney, who won Arizona handily.

“Ohio could be make or break for Romney,” the Washington Examiner reported after those wins.

“Romney could easily have a really bad Super Tuesday,” Charles Krauthammer opined on Fox News.

Romney won Ohio and had a really good Super Tuesday — but polling stations hadn’t even closed when the media got to work on erecting new hurdles for Romney.

“Graham says Romney must win in South to end primary,” the Hill reported Tuesday afternoon atop its account of an interview with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

“Romney’s Super Tuesday wins ‘maybe not enough,’ ” the New York Daily News reported Thursday, atop an article quoting McCain’s skepticism.

Indeed. I’m hearing if Romney doesn’t win Tuesday’s primaries in Alabama and Mississippi, he may be toast.

[email protected]

[Chuck Bao]

I found this interesting. I'd prefer Ron Paul, but are candidates holding onto a false hope way late in the game? Is it time to bow out in a classy fashion? Thoughts?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/believe-it-romneys-a-winner/2012/03/09/gIQAyxqO1R_story.html?hpid=z2

Thanks for sharing this Washington Post article, Hubs. I enjoyed reading it.

And kudos to the writer, Dana Milbank, for using the Sisyphus analogy in regards to Romney's still elusive bid to wrap up the Republican presidential nomination thus far. Yeah, the juvenile in me just likes saying the word Sisyphus and imagining a big rock rolling back downhill over the top of Romney despite his front runner and money advantages.

But the adult in me is left wondering what in the heck is going on. I guess the political pendulum swings too far one way and then too far the other. I think that President Obama couldn't ask for better campaign material than the conservative right forcing the Republican candidates into a very tight corner. This will be very interesting to watch over the next few months.

[MR2-Sooner86]

A conservative, a liberal, and a moderate walk into a bar and the bartender says, "Hi Mitt!"

That's why Romney fails to run away with this thing.

As for Santorum, he won Oklahoma because the jingoistic, homophobic, Bible thumpers love him because he'd bring the Christian Theocracy they've always wanted.

Either way the GOP is killing itself and I'm having a blast watching it unfold in front of me.

[yermom]

A conservative, a liberal, and a moderate walk into a bar and the bartender says, "Hi Mitt!"

That's why Romney fails to run away with this thing.

As for Santorum, he won Oklahoma because the jingoistic, homophobic, Bible thumpers love him because he'd bring the Christian Theocracy they've always wanted.

Either way the GOP is killing itself and I'm having a blast watching it unfold in front of me.

this.

[Chuck Bao]

Just because I want one of these t-shirts.

http://www.shewired.com/sites/shewired.com/files/imce/slutsforobama.jpg

[cccasooner2]

:mad: OK, I concede on this day only and on this issue only that OKC > Tulsa. :mad:

U7pv7sO5Gng

Guess where these girls are from. It isn't OKC :mad:

Praise Allah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[soonercoop1]

It's only reasonable to go back so far. I mean Bush wasn't portrayed as an out-of-control rich kid/coke fiend/alcoholic, was he? So at one time, Obama was wwaaaaayyy left of center from where he is now. In college, I used to be completely in favor of simply dispensing of ALL social welfare, passing out a lot of guns and letting our entitlement society handle itself in a more Darwinian manner. People change.

The fact is that no matter where you think the President is, he's governed from the center-right. Health care has to be fixed in this country. Status quo is not an option. We're spending double or more on our system for the same (or worse) results. We can't do nothing.

governed from center-right...you must have lost your mind...