Has Rick Santorum Killed His Candidacy with Michigan Strategy?

I wrote yesterday about my uncertainty in prediction the outcome of the Michigan primary, but called it for Mitt Romney anyway over lingering doubts about rick Santorum. my hunch paid off. while I am not ready to wave the white flag and accept Romney as the weakest GOP nominee since the last time the party nominated a presidential candidate everyone hated, which would be the last time the party nominated a presidential candidate, i am getting there.

The one thing standing in the way is as mentioned a moment ago--lingering doubts about Santorum. Michigan did not help allay any fears. Close to one in ten primary voters was a Democrat. Democrat voters broke for Santorum 51%. Even a concerted crossover effort to drag Santorum over the finish line on top of regular Republican supporters could not help make him the winner.

I cannot help but be bemused by Santorum supporters literally crossing their fingers for Democrats to help their guy pull off a victory. Honestly, those who have praised Santorum for his robocalls accusing Romney of not supporting the auto bailout out to be embarrassed. You would never claim such a tactic was an admirable display of bipartisanship if Romney or Newt Gingrich had done it instead. Particularly since santorum is attempting to present himself as the conservative alternative to Romney, it is especially egregious to make calls tacitly supporting a ballot conservatives overwhelmingly did not support. Come on, folks. I do not care much for Romney, either, but come on. Criticize him where criticism is legitimate. You cannot want santorum at the price of your integrity.

Granted, Santorum scored well among evangelicals and social conservatives who apparently are willing to overlook his courting of Democrats, but he did not do well among any other groups. I note yet again that mythical army of evangelical voters in western Michigan failed yet again tp put a religious right favorite on top. One has to question the value of claiming Satan is haunted by Satan, near vomiting over the steady coexistence of the secular and sectarian which has been rolling along for 235 years, and lamenting the snobbery of kids dreaming of going to college considering what litlle it earned him. Or embracing government bail outs, since that earned him even less.

I anxiously await poll numbers leading up to super Tuesday. Ohio, in particular, will be intriguing to see whether the shine has come off Santorum. We will know by Gingrich’s performance whether he can earn a…what? Third look by now? Romney is not going to do well in the southern states outside of Virginia where I am confident his cronies had influence in keeping his opponents largely off the ballot. I cannot see how Santorum can possibly have any momentum at this point I have to wonder if he has notw effectively done himself in.