You Didn't Get the Memo! Santorum Smack-Down of Romney in Louisiana

With just over 80% of the votes counted in Louisiana as I write this article, Rick Santorum has given Mitt Romney a "Smack Down" in Louisiana. He is winning by an extraordinary margin of nearly 25 points garnering over 50% of the vote! Rick Santorum was already in Wisconsin as the results were being tabulated, campaigning hard to secure another win in that upcoming primary. Santorum shook up the Republican primary race once again on Saturday, March 25, 2012 in Louisiana and the race to the convention continues.

P>GREEN BAY,WI (Catholic Online) - Speaking to supporters gathered in Green Bay, Wisconsin with one of his daughters behind him, a confident Rick Santorum said to the voters in Louisiana in jest, "You Didn't get the memo that this race is over?"

When I heard him say that line, I laughed. I had watched the absurd repetition of the talking points all day long. From CNN to MSNBC to Fox news; they all seemed to be attempting to convince the people of America that this Republican primary race is over and the "delegate math" was insurmountable.

Commentators on all of the networks were attempting to discount the impending win in Louisiana by early afternoon. They repeatedly noted that only 20 of the 46 delegates were up for grabs. So what? How the delegates will end up being apportioned is still up for grabs in many of the States which were already contested in other primaries. Why did they focus on that aspect of the Louisiana race? 

The fact that the final delegates have yet to be awarded in many States is precisely why the Santorum campaign has been repeatedly claiming that the Romney campaign's reliance on their own delegate count is misplaced. This race is much closer in the delegate count between Romney and Santorum than many think.

More importantly, the voters don't buy the idea that this race is over. That was evident in Louisiana! With just over 80% of the votes counted as I write, Rick Santorum has given Mitt Romney a "Smack Down" in Louisiana. He won by an extraordinary margin of nearly 25 points with over 50% of the vote! Rick Santorum was already in Wisconsin as the results were being tabulated, campaigning hard to secure another win in that upcoming primary.

The blue collar candidate from the Coal and Steel hills of Pennsylvania had begun his day in his home State campaigning. Tonight he was already in Wisconsin. The Santorum campaign is working hard. They are intent on shocking the political establishment and winning the nomination of the Republican Party. Contray to the naysayers, this campaign is anything but on "the ropes".

If anything, this candidate reminds me of another Pennsylvania pugilist, Rocky Balboa. In Rocky III, just as the "experts" were ready to count the Italian Stallion out, he was executing a strategy which few expected, preparing to outmaneuver the winded and cocky Clubber Lang. Rick Santorum told those gathered in Green Bay this evening,"We're still here. We're still fighting." Just as it worked for Rocky, it seems to be working for Rick Santorum.

Hogan Gidley, the Campaign's National Communications Director said on Saturday evening : "There is no other way to interpret tonight's results but as vindication for Rick Santorum's consistent, conservative message of strengthening our nation based on our founding values.  Louisiana voters overwhelmingly rejected Mitt Romney's push to press the reset button, because they know that we need a clear contrast to President Obama's disastrous policies." 

"The entire Santorum campaign, and the conservative movement, is excited by tonight's results, that stand in the face of the media's and the establishment's declaration that we must fall in line with a moderate from Massachusetts.  We thank the voters of Louisiana and look forward to bringing our campaign's message of returning to our founding principles to the people."

The pundits are attempting to parse this extraordinary win in Louisiana - in a manner which makes them sound intelligent. It is very hard. The stand by line, that Santorum won "evangelicals", doesn't fit easily. Louisiana has a lot of Catholic voters as well as evangelicals. Santorum, a devout Catholic, won both demographics.

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In fact, most of their lines don't fit. Santorum won in almost every demographic. He won those concerned about economic issues. He won those concerned about social issues. His win across all of the demographics makes many of these self professed experts - as well as the pontificators filling the blogosphere - look plain stupid. 

Rick Santorum told the crowd gathered with him in Green Bay to celebrate the Louisiana results Saturday evening, "I'm not running as a conservative candidate for president.I am the conservative candidate for president." One of the political pontificators of the Republican establishment expressed one of the obvious talking points early this evening, "Santorum can't just win, he has to win big. He's the one who needs to shake up this race."

Rick Santorum did win big! He shook up the Republican primary race once again on Saturday, March 25, 2012 in Louisiana. The voters of Louisiana "didn't get the memo" from the Republican establishment or from the Obama reelection campaign. Santorum's Freedom campaign has wind in its sails and is set to surprise many in the weeks leading up to the Republican convention. 

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