It Feels Real Today...

"Unreal Crowd" in Manchester, NH for Romney Rally (UPDATED)

Click image below for enlargification:

Ann Romney for First Lady

Close Election ... or Blowout?

Based on poll results, it looks like this will be a close election. But it doesn't feel that way:

• 30,000+ RALLY FOR ROMNEY IN PENNSYLVANIA

• RYAN ROCKS MINNESOTA

• Amazing photos: ‘Unreal’ crowd packs Romney rally in Bucks County, Pa.

• CNN Poll: Romney Beating Obama Among Independents By 22 Points

• George Will Predicts Romney Blowout

How is it that Romney is polling so strongly with independents and expanding into Democrat strongholds like Minnesota and Michigan -- and yet he's barely tied with Obama?

My gut tells me that the ‘Chick-fil-A Revolution’ might be viewed again as a harbinger for the results of tomorrow's election.

(And is it time to revisit the Bradley Effect?)

Mitt Romney for President

I will be voting for Mitt Romney on Tuesday, November 6. I've been waiting for this day for over 4 years.

Via The Blogfather, this is a quote that could have come from someone who read my mind:

“Romney was not my first, second, or third choice, but I will crawl over ground glass to vote for him.”

Brad Smith provides wary voters a number of thoughtful reasons to vote for Mitt Romney:

Here’s why I like Mitt:

1. ...Romney has pledged to repeal Obamacare. It is one of his most visible pledges, and therefore – even if one doesn’t trust Romney (I do, although I’m not sure he can get repeal done) – it will be one of the hardest for him to break or ignore. And he has vowed to use Obama’s own weapon – executive branch waivers – to effectively stop implementation of the Act immediately.

So let’s be skeptical. Let’s assume there is only a 10 or 20 percent chance Romney carries through on this promise (I think the odds are much higher, but I’m being cautious and skeptical here). What are the odds of repeal if Obama is re-elected? Zero. Zilch. Nada. None. Nothing. If repeal of Obamacare is truly important – and I think it is – I will not pass up the most (or only) realistic chance to get it done.

2.Taxes. Mitt Romney has expressed a desire for sensible tax reform that most libertarians support – lower rates with a broader base. We’d like to see overall taxes decline, but in the face of massive deficits, with a public unwilling to stand for major cuts in entitlements, that’s probably not a realistic option. But Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan have promised to try. Barack Obama, on the other hand, has expressed again and again his desire and determination to raise income tax rates, and, at times, even to do so solely for the purpose of redistributing income. And to add insult to injury, Obama’s Orwellian language about “asking” some “to pay a little bit more” grates every time one hears it...

Romney is clearly the superior candidate.
 
3. Entitlements and Spending. Republicans have never had a lot of success in reforming, letting alone ending, entitlements. Often – particularly under G.W. Bush – they have played a key role in expanding them. On the other hand, Republicans scored a huge success in the 1990s in ending welfare as an entitlement, and Obama is now attempting to undo this success through the regulatory process.

Beyond the possibility of repealing the massive entitlement of Obamacare if Romney is elected, Romney’s running mate, Paul Ryan, has been a congressional leader in attempting to reform entitlements. No, he is not the Randian that the Democrats wish to make him out to be, much as many libertarians wish he were. But let’s be clear. No politician is going to be elected President in the near future on a pledge to abolish the entitlement state.

The Romney/Ryan plan for entitlement reform is the closest thing we have to a meaningful first step at reform – indeed, it is meaningful reform. There may never come a time when a majority of Americans are prepared for more radical reform, let alone an end to entitlements. If this is the reform we can get, it is necessary and good, and consistent with libertarian values. If an end to entitlements is one’s goal, successful, incremental reforms are probably a necessary step toward reshaping Americans’ mindset.
 
Obama currently stands as the single biggest obstacle to any consideration of entitlement reform. Romney and Ryan have taken on the issue in as strong a manner as any presidential ticket since Barry Goldwater in 1964...

6. Other Domestic Issues...

a. Immigration. Obama offers a bit more liberal immigration policy in principle, but Romney is more likely to gain concrete results for easier access for skilled workers. Broadly, I think Romney is much more likely to look for policies fostering assimilation...

b. Gun Control. Advantage Romney.

c. School Choice. Advantage Romney...

e. ...the protections of the First Amendment for religious groups has helped to support a major counterweight to state power. Religious freedom matters, and Romney is an easy choice...

i. Free Speech. Give Romney, with his opposition to campaign finance (i.e. political speech) regulation and “hate speech” codes, a huge edge over Obama. Obama has even used government regulation to attempt to silence corporations opposing elements of the Obama agenda, including the provision of true information about his health care plan.

6. The Courts... In the next four years, one side or the other could lock up a working majority on the Supreme Court for two decades. I have no doubt that Romney’s appointees will be MUCH better than Obama’s. Indeed, how could I not – in 2008, I was a member of Romney’s advisory committee on the Constitution and the Courts, a group that included other libertarians such as Michelle Boardman. I have confidence that Romney will appoint judges who see the constitution as a document that limits government power...

7. Foreign Policy.  ...Obama’s demonstrated incompetence and Romney's better understanding of the nature of radical Islam still gives an advantage to Romney. ...as we have seen Obama’s incompetence in dealing with the world, I’m more comfortable with Romney. Elsewhere, however, I think Romney’s advantage is more substantial.

...We will not see President Romney cuddling up to populist dictators such as Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, or undermining democracy in Honduras, where Obama sanctioned the government for upholding its constitution against efforts by left-wing former President Manuel Zelaya to unconstitutionally retain power. Obama has also frayed our relationship with Canada, in part through his obstinate opposition to the Keystone Pipeline, which Romney supports...

Read the rest.

I'll close with a compelling message from Bill Whittle. (hat tip: Proof Positive)


Obama and his radical agenda need to go now. There's only way to ensure that Obama will start packing his backs on the 6th. Vote Romney.

*image credit

I'm tired of Bronco Bamma Too

Post Your GPOY, Obama

When you want America to know that you really, really, really care, you gotta look important and you gotta make sure your photographer is ready to take the important shot. Then you can post your GPOY (Gratuitous Picture Of Yourself).

Obama shows us how it's done:

He works hard for you. Sometimes.

The only thing that beats the obligatory map GPOY is the GPOY from the Situation Room:

But Obama forgot his Benghazi GPOY!

A (Very) Young Voter Explains Her Support for Romney

The conservative antidote to the puerile Lena Dunham:

Would you mind telling us why you choose Romney?

...First of all, I believe in the United States Constitution wholeheartedly. Obama has done many, many things under his term that should have been deemed unconstitutional. He wants to change this country and that’s not what I’m looking for.  

I would consider myself mostly Libertarian. I wanted Ron Paul in the beginning but seeing as he is no longer in the race Romney has my vote. Gary Johnson, not for me. I don’t believe in giving illegal aliens amnesty as Obama and Johnson do. I agree with Romney on his stance with adults being deported but children born here getting the chance to become a citizen.  

Next, I don’t like the Affordable Care Act also commonly known as Obamacare. I think it needs to be repealed immediately because it’s a stepping stone in the process to universal health care. Yes, free health care for everyone is GREAT in ideology. But nations do not thrive with that. Elderly will be denied the care they need. People won’t have the right to either buy into or not buy into health care. Yes, I think it’s foolish for a person to not buy into health insurance but it is their right as an American to do as they please. 

Leading into birth control I don’t think it should be free. There is no reason that an adult woman cannot afford the average hormonal birth control pill (most are never above twenty dollars - mine costs twenty two if I didn’t pay through health insurance coverage) if they prioritize their finances maturely. I certainly don’t believe that employers should provide contraception for their employees. That’s ridiculous to me.  

Aside from those issues, gun laws. I don’t want stricter gun laws. The second amendment was created so we CAN protect ourselves from our government and in self defense against criminals.  

As for jobs Obama is doing terribly. 23 million out of work and he says it’s getting better? I don’t think so. I trust that Romney can get the jobs increasing again. After all he is a businessman. Obama is just a lawyer who knows how to work around the laws to get what he wants.  

On the economy, I think Romney has a great plan. Cut spending. We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. In the whole defense on PBS and him wanting to cut it. PBS doesn’t need the subsidies. They make a third of a billion dollars in revenue. They’ll do just fine on their own...

Read the rest.

Stacey Dash: The Content of His Character

Stacey Dash on Romney: ‘I Chose Him Not By the Color of His Skin But the Content of His Character’

Also of note, earlier in the interview, Dash told Morgan that she's a Democrat who voted for Barack Obama in 2008. She's voting for Romney now "because of the state of the country and I want the next four years to be different."

More:

Civility alert: Obama supporters urge Stacey Dash to kill herself

Samuel L. Jackson: Is Stacey Dash crazy? Paul Ryan thanks Dash for support

Vile: Racist Obama supporters attack Stacey Dash

Citizens speak out in support of actress Stacey Dash

Hat tip: Tumblr

UPDATE: Linked at The Other McCain. Thanks!

Is There a "Real" Romney?

Speaking from his heart?

"I love this land, I love its Constitution, I revere its founders, I will restore those principles, I will get America back to work, and I'll make sure that we remain the shining city on the hill."

Check, check, check, check, check ... and check.

Are we to believe that these are the thoughts that run through Romney's mind when he lays his head on his pillow at night?

Is there a "real" Romney hidden somewhere, waiting to be unveiled? It's time to bring him out.

If Romney can't be authentic, he will continue to struggle in the primaries. But if the authentic Mitt Romney is revealed, will Republican voters like what they see?

Maybe these questions lead us to Romney's own Catch-2012.

Rick 1, Mitt 1, Newt 1

I'm surprised Newt won so big in SC. Intrade had his probability of winning at about 7% as recently as a week ago. I seriously considered buying up all of Newt's shares at that point, but I never expected Newt to crush Romney like this.

There's a lot of discussion in the conservosphere about how and why Newt's debate performance has impacted his momentum. But almost everyone agrees that the debates have been the decisive factor.

I think the take home message is that the "Not-Romney" sentiment is still very strong, and that sentiment has coalesced around Newt as a consequence of Newt's forceful repudiation of the abusive anti-conservative media establishment.

That said, I still think it's Romney's nomination to lose. This might be the last Not-Romney win for quite some time.

As I noted earlier, the next five contests will be in Romney-friendly territory. Newt has an advantage in the south, but we're going to be out of the core southern states for a while now. Florida is up next, but Florida is more of a regional hybrid with swing state tendencies, and Florida's Jeb Bush, a popular ex-governor, is expected to endorse Romney soon (update).

Addendum: Good insights from The Other McCain:

...Mitt’s “inevitable” mojo spell is now decisively broken, and the questions now are multiple: Can Mitt get his mojo back? Will Newt be able to avoid further “drama”? Can Santorum get the financial resources to stay in the race, hoping to be the last man standing if Newt auto-destructs?

Read the rest...

Update II: Good insights from Red State:

Newt Gingrich Wins. What It Means...

The base is revolting because they swept the GOP back into relevance in Washington just under two years ago and they have been thanked with contempt ever since...

Read the rest...

Update III: DON'T MISS THIS:

Conservatives (accurately) perceive the media mainstream to be a de facto organ of the liberal left, and by extension, the Democratic Party - and they understand that conservative governance is absolutely impossible unless that organ is defeated or co-opted. On the latter count, ask President John McCain how his co-option efforts went. When Newt Gingrich crushes a hapless journalist, he isn't just tossing up a parlor trick: he's demonstrating an indispensable prerequisite to conservative governance today.

Read the rest...

Fixed It: Obama's New Campaign Ad

Obama has released his first ad for the 2012 presidential campaign. There were a few small problems. I took the liberty of making some adjustments:

You're welcome, Mr. Obama!

Original propaganda here.

Update:

Near the end of the video, Obama points to a quote from Politifact from January 21, 2009: "kept a campaign promise to toughen ethics rules." A couple of observations:

1. Does this have anything to do with his energy policy? It looks like this quote is almost completely unrelated to the main theme of the video.
2. This is an old quote. Has Obama been as "tough" with lobbyists as he was the day after inauguration?

Update II:

The Lonely Conservative: Obama Can’t Run On His Record, So He’s Making One Up

Update III:

Obama takes credit for things he didn't do and he fabricates the rest. Even the Washington Post can't swallow these lies:

...figures are correct, but they are also not tethered to anything Obama has done.

...the Energy Department cited a host of reasons why foreign oil imports have declined, noting the main reason was “a significant contraction in consumption” because of the poor economy and changes in efficiency that began “two years before the 2008 crisis”—ie, before Obama took office.

Then, in bold type, the ad proclaims: President Obama “kept a campaign promise to toughen ethics rules” and it cites: “PolitiFact, 1/21/09.”

Politifact did write that on Jan. 21, 2009, but then it almost immediately changed its ruling as Obama began granting waivers to his ethics policy...

The suggestion that Obama was responsible for the 2.7 million clean-energy jobs or the decline in foreign oil imports is bad enough... We have more trouble with the citation of PolitiFact.

Update IV:

Obama's First Ad Riddled with Falsehoods...

Politifact: “We Rate Obama's ‘Revolving Door’ Policy For Former Lobbyists His Biggest Broken Promise...”

Solyndra, Obama’s Poster-Child For “American Ingenuity And Dynamism,” Declared Bankruptcy...

Obama did not create 2.7 million green jobs...

This is a bad way to start a presidential ad campaign, even by Democrat standards.

Nukes for Nuts: Ron Paul Stands With Iran

Shorter Ron Paul: Give the world's bullies what they want and they'll go away...

Ron Paul told voters in Iowa on Thursday that western sanctions against Iran are "acts of war" that are likely to lead to an actual war in the Middle East...

...[Paul] said Iran would be justified in responding to the sanctions by blocking the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. He compared the western sanctions to a hypothetical move by China to block the Gulf of Mexico, which Americans would consider an act of war...

"I think we're looking for trouble because we put these horrendous sanctions on Iran," Paul told a midday audience at the Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa. He said the Iranians are "planning to be bombed" and understandably would like to have a nuclear weapon...

...the Texas congressman said that "we always seem to have to have a country to bash," linking the current saber-rattling against Iran to previous hawkish rhetoric that led to conflicts in Iraq, Libya and elsewhere.

"If you want to quiet things down," he said, referring to Iran, "don't put sanctions on them" because it's "just going to cause more trouble."

Ron Paul must think we're all crazy.

Update: a list of Ron Paul's goofs and gaffes at Hack Wilson.

Obama's Paths to Victory

Via HotAir

Romney's Happy Prophecy: One Nation Under Mandates

With coercion and oppression for all...

Make no mistake about it, Mitt Romney looks forward to the day when every American is forced by government to make health care decisions at the point of a gun:

MR. RUSSERT: So if a state chose a mandate, it wouldn’t bother you?

MR. ROMNEY: I’d think it’s a terrific idea. I think you’re going to find when it’s all said and done, after all these states that are the laboratories of democracy, get their chance to try their own plans, but those who follow the path that we pursued will find it’s the best path, and we’ll end up with a nation that’s taken a mandate approach.

Think Mitt has changed his mind since making the statement above? Think again.

Mitt Romney is proud of the legacy of his health care mandate in Massachusetts, dire consequences notwithstanding.

UPDATE: Romney supported an individual health insurance mandate during the HillaryCare debate.

UPDATE II: The Wall Street Journal Delivers A Devastating Mitt Romney Takedown (via Business Insider)

Mr. Romney could push someone out of an airplane and blame the ground for killing him.

More

Mitt Romney: Proud of Massachusetts health care law

Massachusetts Doctors Not Seeing New Patients, Wait Times Lengthening

5 painful health-care lessons from Massachusetts

Mitt Romney: "No Apologies"

Romney Should Scrap Presidential Run to Avoid Ghost of Health Care Reform

X-posted

Your Next President: Mitch Daniels?

Any day now, the race for White House will begin in earnest. If the appearance of national TV ads signifies the beginning of a presidential race, this weekend's unapproved Pro Bowl spot for Mitch Daniels marks the unofficial starting line for the 2012 marathon to the White House.

It's time to begin scrutinizing the likely candidates one by one, starting with Mitch. In a thumbnail sketch here's what you want to know...

Mitch is a diminutive, balding, ex-pothead Hoosier with Syrian roots, currently serving as a wildly popular governor in Indiana. As a motorcycle enthusiast who is known for crisscrossing the state on his iconic Harley, Mitch has broad-based appeal, even among Indiana's youngest voting demographic.

Through impressive accomplishments as Indiana's hard-working chief executive, Mitch has earned a reputation as a reliable fiscal hawk even as he reportedly eschews the "conservative" label. On the other hand, through his support for a VAT, and through dubious comments about social conservatism, Mitch has spooked many of the conservatives on whom he would depend for a successful GOP primary campaign.

Moreover, Daniels' deep "establishment Republican" roots, his connections with special interests and his cozy relationship with Democrat James Zogby's Arab American Institute will likely disenchant some tea party groups and other influential conservative organizations.

Now the details...

First, a generous slathering praise via Michael Barone:

• In 2008, Mitch was reelected Governor of Indiana, receiving more votes than anyone who has ever run for office in Indiana.
• Mitch received 24% of the Dem vote in '08, up 11% from 2004.
• He received 20% of the African American vote, up 13% from '04.
• Mitch won every age demographic, including the 18-29 year-olds.
• The governor did as well with independents as he did with the general population, winning the independent vote by a 57%-39% margin.

Daniels' everyman appeal:

Daniels kept it real. He has remained in touch and accessible to average Hoosiers through constant statewide travel. His view is always from the taxpayer's perspective and that showed on Election Day. Voters came to appreciate his preference to travel the state on his Harley Davidson motorcycle and his insistence to stay overnight in Hoosier homes, not in hotels. It's no coincidence Daniels did not use campaign consultants, and personally wrote the scripts for all campaign commercials.

Another Daniels fan explains Daniels' impressive electoral success:

Daniels was re-elected to the governor’s mansion in 2008 by a wide margin even as his state went blue. Voters rewarded him for having eliminated in four short years a $200 million hole in Indiana’s budget...

Among his most popular (and typical) accomplishments was to overhaul Indiana’s dysfunctional bureau of motor vehicles – reducing average wait times significantly and raising customer satisfaction to 97%. He is a self-described cheap-skate whose healthy aversion to waste underscores his every move and has rewarded him throughout his career...

Daniels' fiscal accomplishments are quite impressive:

After five years in the statehouse, admirers point out, Daniels has managed to lower property taxes by an average of 30 percent; transform a $200 million budget deficit into a $1.3 billion surplus; and insure 45,000 low-income Hoosiers through a budget-neutral combination of health savings accounts and catastrophic coverage. His approval ratings routinely top 65 percent.

Now some criticism, via our center-left friends at Politico:

Daniels recited from Kahn’s book: “It would be most useful to redesign the tax system to discourage consumption and encourage savings and investment. One obvious possibility is a value added tax and flat income tax, with the only exception being a lower standard deduction.”

“That might suit our current situation pretty well,” said Daniels, who served as George W. Bush’s Office of Management and Budget director and was a senior adviser in Ronald Reagan’s White House...

The so-called VAT, common in European economies which have stagnated, is a toxic acronym to fiscally conservative activists like Grover Norquist and Dick Armey. It slaps a tax on the estimated market value for products at every stage of production.

Immediately after Politico stirred the hornet's nest, the hornets came out!

“This is outside the bounds of acceptable modern Republican thought, and it is only the zone of extremely left-wing Democrats who publicly talk about those things because all Democrats pretending to be moderates wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot poll,” Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist told POLITICO. “Absent some explanation, such as large quantities of crystal meth, this is disqualifying. This is beyond the pale.”

Speaking of drug use:

While in college in 1970, Daniels was arrested for marijuana possession and spent two nights in jail. Daniels always disclosed that fact on job applications and was forthcoming about it in his public career, writing about the incident in a 1989 column published in The Indianapolis Star.

Democrats' efforts to capitalize on this snippet of Daniels' biography were described as "the great Marijuana Flop of 2004."

More important to Daniels' potential political aspirations is his relationship with social conservatives. When given the opportunity to ingratiate himself to social conservatives with a fiscally responsible position, Daniels failed utterly:

Daniels, speaking to reporters in Washington last week, said he wanted to declare a “truce” on social issues with the left. Daniels wants to focus on fiscal issues in Washington. However, in so doing, Daniels is signaling he is not so much of a principled fiscal conservative as he is a technocratic policy wonk.

When asked if he would reinstate the “Mexico City Policy,” which Ronald Reagan put in place to ban federal funding of abortions overseas, Daniels responded “I don’t know.”

If rendering opinions on abortion are above Daniel's pay grade, it's not because he hasn't had an opportunity to hone his communication skills. Daniels' résumé is golden:

Career History: Director, Office of Management and Budget, Bush Administration, (2001-2003); Senior Vice President, Eli Lilly and Company, (1990-2001); CEO, The Hudson Institute, (1987-1990); Served as director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee under Dick Lugar in 1983-84. In the second Reagan Administration, he was political director and head of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs but quit after clashes with Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan.

Education: Georgetown law school, '79; B.A., Princeton, '71; J.D.

Lately though, Daniels' has impressed all the wrong people. Lefty writers at the Washington Post, Politico, Newsweek ― all smitten. The conspicuous backhanded infatuation with Mitch Daniels is highly suspect and strangely reminiscent of the love fest enjoyed by John McCain, circa 2007.

While Daniels certainly has the right credentials to make a serious run for the White House, it remains to be seen whether his establishment pedigree would serve as an asset or a liability in the Tea Party era. Daniels would do well to show grassroots conservatives that his values are more in line with those of Ronald Reagan than with those of his good friend of four decades, Liberal Republican Dick Lugar.

There are other portions of Daniels' résumé that Daniels may need to downplay if he runs for the GOP nomination. From his history with Eli Lilly, an Indiana-based pharmaceutical company that rallied in support of Obamacare to his warm relationship with Democrat James Zogby's Arab American Institute, Daniels would have much to explain to GOP primary voters. Any lingering reluctance to identify himself as a conservative would be especially problematic.

Last, but possibly not least, there's the matter of Daniels' diminutive and unpresidential physical appearance. This is from our socialist buddies at Newsweek:

At 5 feet 7 (in boots), Daniels is shorter than Obama’s 12-year-old daughter, Malia. His rather uninspiring demeanor—reticent, stiff, and slightly skittish, with darting eyes and long blanks between words—better suits a former director of the Office of Management and Budget, which he happens to be, than a leader of the free world. And his comb-over is borderline delusional. As conservative journalist Andrew Ferguson recently put it, “I see [Daniels] as he strides toward the middle of the stage to shake hands with Obama before the first debate and comes up to the president’s navel. Election over.”

Are we getting ahead of ourselves? Jennifer Rubin reminds us that at this point, perhaps the most important question to ask about Mitch Daniels is whether he's serious about running.

X-posted

Next in the series: Herman Cain, Pros and Cons

Palin Wins

Votes against Romney in red, votes against Palin in green.

Who needs primaries and caucuses? The results are in. By process of elimination, RightKlik readers have chosen their favorite for the race against Obama in 2012.

We started with ten potential GOP candidates and eliminated the weaker links one by one through RightKlik's unpatented process of reverse determination:

Ron Paul eliminated in Round 1

Newt Gingrich and Charlie Crist eliminated in Round 2

Mike Huckabee eliminated in Round 3

John Thune eliminated in Round 4

Eric Cantor eliminated in Round 5

Mark Sanford eliminated himself in Round 6

Bobby Jindal eliminated in Round 7

In the final poll, Sarah Palin avoided elimination and beat Mitt Romney by a razor-thin margin.

"If nominated by the GOP, which of the following Republicans would be LESS likely to beat Obama in 2012?"

Thanks to everyone who participated.

More

Sarah Agonistes. Professional politicians and political journalists don't waste energy on political corpses.

Romney Leads Among GOP Voters With Fiscal Concerns

First Simon Property Group shut down the Atlanta Tea Party, now this?

59% Reject Pope’s Call for More International Regulation of Economy

Dear MSM, thanks for clearing this up! We wouldn't want anyone to think Obama is a jerk.

Weakest Link: Final Round

Ron Paul eliminated in Round 1

Newt Gingrich and Charlie Crist eliminated in Round 2

Mike Huckabee eliminated in Round 3

John Thune eliminated in Round 4

Eric Cantor eliminated in Round 5

Mark Sanford eliminated himself in Round 6

Bobby Jindal eliminated in Round 7

Final Round

If nominated by the GOP, which of the following Republicans would be LESS likely to beat Obama in 2012?

Weakest Link: Round 7

Ron Paul eliminated in Round 1

Newt Gingrich and Charlie Crist eliminated in Round 2

Mike Huckabee eliminated in Round 3

John Thune eliminated in Round 4

Eric Cantor eliminated in Round 5

Mark Sanford eliminated himself in Round 6

Round 7