I have been relatively cavalier in comments saying the Mitt Romney would win the nomination. At the same time, I have completely underestimated the prospects of Rick Santorum. I totally felt like he would be the flavor of the day. That has turned out not to be the case. He is at Romney’s heels and is doing so with a tiny bank account compared to his. Whether this appeal is For him or Against Romney or some of both I am not sure. But from here on in I am not ruling him out against anyone, including beating President Obama. I never thought I would find myself saying that.

On the flip side, Ron Paul is turning out, albeit slowly, to be a fringe candidate. Many of his supporters accuse the media of ignoring him. It turns out they had every right to, because he doesn’t get many votes. Yes, he brings lots of views that appeal to Republicans, but in the end, I believe his Achilles heel is that voters feel the nation would be unsafe in his hands. We have had some lively commentary on this blog around this subject, and we have appreciated the arguments on both sides: the one that says Paul would be dangerous, the other saying it is only Paul that can save us from an over-reaching empire that will bankrupt us. Personally, I would hope if Paul were to be President that he wouldn’t put our nation at risk, but voters seem to be running away from the thoughts like it would be ok in a RP Administration that Iran could obtain a nuclear bomb.

After Super Tuesday, we are left with Mitt and Santorum to fight it out; Gingrich enjoying the limelight and now Secret Service protection, and I’m not sure what for Ron Paul. It’s a 2-horse race now folks, not 1.

At Nexus I like to think we are open-minded to all views, whether we agree with them or not. Most opinions so long as they are informed, well-considered, and constructively made are worth hearing. In an ideal world, the wider your audience and influence is, the more informed and well-considered and constructive those opinions probably need to be. Granted, if you are an “entertainer” this gives some license to exaggerate, engage in hyperbole, and at times stretch the truth to make a point.

But if you have been listening to Rush Limbaugh and the Sandra Fluke controversy, you will know that none of the above applies (to Rush!). Advertisers are abandoning him, and his audience should too. He has discredited himself as a commentator, and while he will no doubt still appeal to ignorant, uninformed, uneducated, bigoted audiences, his credibility is forever damaged and so are those who have cowered in the face of this obvious buffoon. For John Boehner to describe his remarks as “inappropriate”, his “leadership” is worthless. When I heard Bill O’Reilly the other night giving his whining spiel about having to pay for Sandra Fluke’s “activities”, I was stunned. Who are these arrogant bullies that we listen to, and how have they gained such wide audiences?

This is not an issue of Left versus right. This is an issue of smart versus stupid; informed versus clueless; the powerful versus the relatively powerless. Sandra Fluke has more class and poise than 100 Rush Limbaughs. She rightfully said his apology “doesn’t change anything.” Agree with her views or not; Sandra Fluke wins hands down on character.

We’re not sure if Rush has bosses, but if he does, they should rush him off the air, and give him a 3 month break, so he can get a grip on the enormous damage he has done to himself and to the audience that he continues to pander to.

One of the bloggers we follow on Nexus Politix is the Voice of Reason. He’s definitely right-leaning, and would refer to Obama and those that follow him “lefties.” Nevertheless, we have respect for his well-thought out views even though we don’t agree with all of them. He wrote the following comment on the previous Ron Paul post, and we have decided to make it a post itself rather than bury it in a comment. Here it is:

Eric makes some very good points, and in his list of 18 reasons to vote for Ron Paul I strongly agree with 15 of them.  The only problem is that there are 3 points on the list that are completely unacceptable.  It’s like looking at Ted Bundy (google “Bundy serial killer”).  He was handsome, smart, had a law degree, donated to charity, loved his mother, and he murdered at least 28 people.

If Ron Paul’s foreign policy initiatives were enacted, we would have liberty for a while, and then we would cease to exist as a nation.

Throwaway lines like “Do you want our overseas empire pulled back”, and “do you want to end foreign aid…that only leads to corruption” sound so obvious, innocuous, and logical actually outline policies that would lead to the deaths of millions of people outside of the United States, and eventually would lead to one of two things:  our downfall, or a huge world war led by us to roll back the damage caused by an ignorant, inhumane, populist, penny-wise-and-pound foolish short-sighted foreign policy.  We would spend 1000x what we would have spent if we carefully provide foreign aid as we do today, and we would spend hundreds of thousands if not millions of American lives.

Ron Paul is so good in so many areas, but his foreign policy (while alluring) is dangerously uninformed.

I will say this.  If Ron Paul was campaigning on 15 of the 18 points above, and he changed the 3 I adamantly, passionately, with-all-my-heart object to,  I would vote for him.  But he won’t, and therefore he will never get my vote.  Nor should he get yours.  I would vote for Obama over Paul, and if you knew me you would know that is a very strong statement for me to make.  At least after 4 more years of Obama our nation would still exist, albeit crippled.

This is a post from a Nexus Politix reader. The Nexus Politix editorial staff takes no sides as of yet in this election.

by  Eric Burgess —

Many years ago I was a die-hard Republican, but over the last 12 years I have felt completely sold out by the GOP “establishment”. Once in power, both Democrats and Republicans act the same. More spending, more government, more regulations, more taxes, more war, more obscure laws, and less liberty. I finally woke up to Ron Paul and his ideas around 2008. One thing you will find, is that there are no “ex-Ron Paul supporters”. Not only do we believe in the man, we believe in the ideas\position he takes. To settle for anything else is a breach in our values. I will no longer sell-out and hold my nose to vote for the lesser of two evils. McCain was one of the worst votes I have ever had to pull the lever for. I’m ashamed to have even voted for him.

Back to the current election. The GOP only has one logical choice for the nominee and that is Ron Paul. He can get the Independent vote, he can get the blue dog democrats, and he can get the vast majority of Republican voters. No other candidate can do that in the GOP field. How can you not like Ron Paul as a GOP voter? Ron Paul is a veteran (the only one in the group), he is a doctor (the only one in the group), he understand monetary policies and how they affect the market, he understands history and the ramifications of intervention (militarily, economically, etc).

Do you not want to drastically reduced government spending? Only candidate that has a plan to do this.

Do you not want a much smaller Federal government?

Do you not want the Federal government out of our schools?

Do you not want more liberty?

Do you not want to remove the TSA?

Do you not want the current Health care laws rolled back?

Do you not want the miserable “War on Drugs” to be re-evaluated?

Do you not want tighter control on the Federal Reserve?

Do you not want a balanced budget?

Do you not want to end foreign aid that we can’t afford and only leads to corruption?

Do you not want our young men and women to stop dying overseas for nothing?

Do you not want our overseas empire to be pulled back?

Do you not want someone who understands economics and predicted the collapse of our economy working to fix our economy?

Do you not want you taxes reduced?

Do you not want someone who has a plan for fixing entitlements?

Do you not want to vote for someone with pride, instead of a sour taste in your mouth?

Do you not want our politicians to obey the Constitution that they swore an oath to uphold?

Only one candidate can address all the above.

This ex-Neo-Con has a fantastic write-up of his journey away from the warmongering GOP. I can’t write as well as this example so take the time to read and contemplate your position. Serious reflection is need by the voters. He writes this as a “Warning” to the GOP, but it will give you an insight into the Ron Paul movement that you may find helpful.

http://www.dailypaul.com/217734/letter-of-warning-to-the-gop

See the reception Ron Paul receives in Michigan. This one made me feel electrified for the election!

http://www.dailypaul.com/216866/short-video-ron-paul-at-msu

Please take some time to reflect on your beliefs and maybe read some more about Ron Paul and his campaign’s planks. You may find that you stand shoulder to shoulder with him.  For the first time in my voting life-time, I feel no reservations about voting for a candidate, nor have any embarrassment saying that I’m voting for him. I have also spend my money on supporting RP (never donated before), I have yard signs 4 months before the primary arrives in my state. I have handed out brochures and where my Ron Paul button whenever possible.

Good Websites for Ron Paul

www.dailypaul.com

www.ronpaul2012.com

Must view! How everything is becoming illegal in America. If this doesn’t open your eyes nothing will.

http://lewrockwell.com/rep3/almost-everything-is-illegal.html

Amazon Link to his books:

The Revolution: A Manifesto

http://www.amazon.com/The-Revolution-Manifesto-Ron-Paul/dp/B005K5D83G/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1330708187&sr=8-3

Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom:

http://www.amazon.com/Liberty-Defined-Essential-Issues-Freedom/dp/1455501441/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330708187&sr=8-1

End The Fed

http://www.amazon.com/End-Fed-Ron-Paul/dp/B004IEA4DM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1330708187&sr=8-4

When the Republican campaign season began it was all about saving the world from Barak Obama. More precisely, it was about restoring America back to economic health after 3 years of Obama leading America to economic ruin.

Two things then dramatically changed. First and foremost, the economy started to turn around. Each month, the news gets better and better. And every month it gets better, Obama’s chances of reelection climb.

The second thing that happened is that as America watched this cast of characters run against each other, it became more apparent that it was the citizens that would have to save America from them. Think of the showman Herman Cain; the nasty and delusional Newt Gingrich; and the sanctimonious choirboy Rick Santorum. Put this cast of misfits against a totally competent and reasonable and compelling candidate Mitt Romney, and it makes Romney look as bad as them. You judge a person by who his friends are.

Obama will have a field day if this continues. It is truly an irony that Obama has this opportunity given that when the season started it seemed like virtually anyone could beat him.

He may want to hold off buying Michelle a Cadillac or 2 because right now another 4 years in the White House is looking like a pretty safe bet.

The primary season has been filled with suprises. A candidate up one week, down the next. It looks like what has been inevitable all along, a Mitt Romney victory, is finally materializing. Super Tuesday should wrap it all up.

The question now will be what damage was done to the candidate through this process; what lessons were learned; and can he then go on to beat Obama.

We’ll explore these issues in the days and weeks ahead. There is one final matter that has to be cleaned up: that is the influence and followers of Ron Paul. Santorum voters will fall into line behind Romney. But what about Ron Paul’s followers?

We’ll see, but I think media attention may finally return to RP, who is in absolutely no danger of winning the nomination, but may be a crucial factor in determining Romney’s ultimate chances of victory in the general election.

After reading a Kennedy Speech made back in 1960 where JFK talked about the separation of Church and State, Rick Santorum claims that “I almost threw up.” We can go into the context, the rationalizations, the explanations, and he sure tried on ABC’s “This Week,” but he appeared more ridiculous than he did when he first made the comment.

Gaffes happen all the time. My wife is now asking me for “a couple of Acura TLs.” But Santorum’s sanctimony has taken his campaign to a deathly high temperature. Our suggestion is that if he loses Michigan, his campaign manager rush him directly to the Emergency Room, where perhaps some version of Romneycare or Obamacare will foot some of the bill.

By Scott Jordan. Op-Ed.

It’s no secret to the outside observer that the 2012 Republican nominating contest has been the most divisive of the last 20 years. Not since Pat Robertson’s 1992 primary battle against George H.W. Bush whose eventual loss to Bill Clinton via the third party candidacy of Ross Perot, has the party been so fractured. The current cycle has seen no less than six anointed front runners raise and fall, with many polls still showing a yet to be satisfied conservative electorate. What is preventing the Republican Party from solidifying it’s base and coalescing around one candidate? More importantly, who is the candidate best suited to achieve this goal in November? To understand what is currently happening, one must identify the different groups vying for the nomination.

The first group is often called the “establishment” group, represented by the GOP’s hand picked and preferred candidate Mitt Romney. With the help and backing of the establishment, armed with high powered endorsements from Republican governors like Chris Christie and Nikki Haley, the former Massachusetts governor has set out this cycle to convince voters that he is the most electable candidate when matched up against President Obama. A common thread among Republican voters this election cycle is that they all believe that virtually any Republican candidate would make a better president than Barack Obama. We will call these individuals the “Anyone but Obama” voters. Mitt Romney is especially appealing to voters who fall into this category and who also believe his message that he’s the most electable. However, Romney’s support has often been criticized as soft; as recently indicated by a Pew exit poll of Florida voters which showed that only 34 percent saw him as the Republican candidate who “best understands the problems of average Americans.”.

The second group fighting for the nomination is the “Anyone but Obama… and Preferably Not Establishment” group, represented by former speaker of the house Newt Gingrich and former senator Rick Santorum. This group of voters is comprised of people who disdain the current president, but don’t trust Mitt Romney. Many also have a bad taste in their mouths from the Bush administration. In their view, George W. Bush generally abandoned conservative principles with programs like TARP, No Child Left Behind, Sarbanes Oxley, and deficit spending which they feel contributed to the housing bubble and great recession. Comprised of evangelicals, latecomers to the tea party and people unhappy with Mitt Romney, this group does not trust the establishment to adequately represent conservative values in the White House. Some of the hurdles facing this group are their candidates’ personal baggage, lack of organization and polls showing the lowest favorable ratings among all candidates in a general election. However, the biggest problem with these two candidates is that they’re not on the ballot in all 50 states, making it impossible for either one to win the nomination outright without landslide victories in a vast majority of the contests.

This brings us to the third and final group, the “Nobody But Paul” group. Obviously represented by Congressman Ron Paul, this group sees itself as pure constitutionalists; rigidly supporting the only man they feel has any true principles. This group is comprised of original tea partiers, anti-war activists, libertarians, independents, and even Democrats who are leaving their party and calling themselves “Blue Republicans”. It’s difficult to pinpoint any single big issue that binds them together; however a common theme in all of their responses is a restoration of the constitution and its principles, which they feel both parties have either ignored or abandoned. As stated, this group does not trust and will likely not vote for anybody but Ron Paul. With the exception of Dr. Paul, they view everybody else in the field, including Barack Obama, as coming from the same mold (more on that later). The biggest challenge facing this group is convincing the general public that Ron Paul is electable, a problem created by what they say is unfair treatment by the mainstream media, who has often labeled them as dangerous and extreme.

All of these groups share the common goal of beating Obama in November. The Romney group is easily the least committed to their candidate and it’s safe to assume that they would support anyone who got the Republican nomination. The Gingrich and Santorum group are marginally more committed, however they tend to bounce around from which ever candidate they view as the flavor of the month who is not Mitt Romney. This leaves us with the Paul group, who simply will not support any candidate but Ron Paul, regardless of who wins the nomination. The Republican party will need all three of these groups to unite if they’re going to beat Barack Obama in November. Over the last year, Gallup polling of head to head match-ups between different Republican candidates and Obama has consistently shown only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul matching up favorably against the president. Having said that, with Ron Paul’s supporters so committed to only backing their candidate, and Gingrich and Santorum supporters lacking ballot access and feeling uneasy about Mitt Romney, one has to ask, why not Ron Paul?

Current polling and results of the first four primary contests this cycle show that Ron Paul garners support from about 15 percent of the Republican base nationwide. Furthermore, polls have consistently shown that Dr. Paul is the only Republican candidate who gets more support from independent voters than Barack Obama. Independents makeup the largest voting block in the country and it’s virtually impossible to win an election without winning a majority of the independent vote. Another important factor when facing off against Obama is the youth vote, which propelled him to victory in 2008. Ron Paul has dominated the youth vote during the Republican primary season thus far, handily winning among people under 30 in each contest. This could play a key factor in chipping away at Obama’s most ardent support group. Couple that with the fact that Ron Paul is virtually the only candidate causing Democrats to leave their party to vote for the GOP and you have a very compelling argument for making him the Republican nominee. Republicans simply will not be able to beat Obama without 15 percent of their base and a majority of independent voters.

This brings us back to our original question, how can the Republican Party unite these three groups around one candidate to defeat Barack Obama? More importantly, who is the Republican Party and why are they not coalescing around the one candidate who could actually beat Obama? Before the GOP can even think about winning in November, they’ll first need to do some soul searching and solve their current identity crisis. We’ll explore this and more as the series continues.

There is a school of thought that says Republicans are hurting each other to the point that they are merely helping the Democrats and Obama’s chances of re-election. This is far from true. Yes it is true that the news has been distracting and Obama has gotten away with bad plays such as the Keystone Pipeline, but overall the Republicans beating each other up may prove to be beneficial. It is flawed thinking to believe Republicans need to hurry up and pick a nominee so that all of the attention can be put on Obama. This trial by fire is good for whichever of the four candidates emerges. One of Gingrich’s criticisms has been that he is a ticking time bomb just waiting to say or do something inappropriate. The current environment gives everyone a chance to see just how Newt responds to harsh criticism and extreme pressure for prolonged periods of time. The long days of campaigning and rhetorical gun fight with Romney will only make him a stronger candidate if he comes out on top. The same goes for Romney. He hasn’t truly been pressured until recently, and you find out what a candidate is really made of in times like these. Regarding the electability argument Romney supporters cite; If Romney can’t beat Gingrich in a primary battle then he probably won’t be able to beat Obama. Republicans should relax and see the current battle as more of a preparation for next fall than an act of cannibalism.

As we sit tonight looking at the S.C. returns, the Romney camp is reeling. It is almost incredible that the “inevitable” nominee has found himself in such a defeated state. He has only now won 1 of 3 primaries, and even the New Hampshire primary has an asterisk given that he had such an advantage being from Massachusetts.

We will take a close look at the results and what the drivers were, but it is clear that Romney will need to change course. His unwillingness to release tax returns; his record at Bain; his “flip-flopping” history; all are converging to make him vulnerable. That someone with as much “baggage” as Newt Gingrich; that someone as poorly financed as Rick Santorum, could beat him in 2 of the 3 primaries tells you something. There are some deep concerns about Mitt Romney and he has been unable to assuage them.

Nexus Politix has mentioned Chris Christie before. Maybe that is wishful thinking. We will be watching the rebuttal to the State of the Union given by Mitch Daniels. Perhaps he will add some perspective into the Republican primary race.

One thing is for sure. The pundits who wrote off Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, were wrong. Gingrich has arisen from the dead. That he won this primary by such a large margin tells you that Romney is no longer inevitable and in fact just experienced a drubbing. The drama continues to build and anything can happen next.