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The just-concluded New Hampshire primary brought former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to the high-water mark of his presidential campaign. Unfortunately for Huntsman, the tide of Republican politics is about to leave him high and dry.

Most people will likely dismiss Huntsman’s campaign as a quixotic failure. He has run as a centrist, almost a throwback to the socially tolerant Republicans of a generation ago, at a time when most of his fellow party members compete to be labeled the most conservative. He staked his entire campaign on New Hampshire, but he never came close to knocking off Mitt Romney, who lives there part time and was formerly governor of nearby Massachusetts. Huntsman sought the GOP’s embrace almost immediately after leaving President Obama’s administration, in which he served as ambassador to China, even though the entire Republican Party is hell-bent on sending Obama back to Chicago.

In short, Huntsman is the kind of candidate that a moderate Republican would love to elect. The problem is that there are hardly any moderate Republicans. He never had a chance.

Some would probably argue that Huntsman would be an imposing candidate in the general election. I used to think so myself, but I was wrong. In the first place, Huntsman had no chance whatsoever of getting nominated. But even if he had somehow won the nomination, who would have voted for him? Most Democrats would stay with Obama. They would see no need to switch to a Republican who could be labeled “Obama light.” While some Republicans would have backed Huntsman as the lesser of two evils, many would have just stayed home. Moderate voters, especially right-of-center moderates like me, would have liked Huntsman, but you might be able to fit all of us in the stands at your local high school’s football field.

Yet Huntsman’s campaign has not been a waste. For one thing, he put an attractive face on a moderate flavor of Republicanism that the country sorely misses. There are not many Huntsman Republicans in the party today, but in a decade or so, that might change. We needed someone like him to begin that shift.

More importantly, Huntsman’s presence in the crowded early Republican field gave Romney room to be the candidate he really wants to be in 2012 – one who has a realistic chance of winning the White House. Without Huntsman, Romney would have been perceived as the least conservative in the field of Republican candidates, and he would have probably needed to spend time proving his conservative bona fides. This would have hurt Romney in the following general election, assuming Romney made it that far. Having Huntsman in the field made Romney appear closer to the center of the GOP spectrum than he otherwise would have. It even made Romney just one of two Mormons in the race and helped blunt whatever impact the front-runner’s religion would have had otherwise.

So Romney owes thanks to Huntsman for helping the Romney campaign build momentum and a growing sense of inevitability. It is liable to be a long primary campaign because of the way Republican delegates are awarded, but if Romney can hold his own in South Carolina and then perform strongly in Florida, he will emerge from the campaign’s first month of voting in much better shape than most would have predicted. Romney’s campaign appears to be on the way up.

There is nowhere for Huntsman’s campaign to go from here except down. He never had any prospects in South Carolina, and he has barely registered in Florida, whose primary is on Jan. 31. By Groundhog Day, Huntsman’s campaign will almost surely be over, assuming it survives past today.

I doubt we have heard the last of Huntsman, however. At least I hope not. He would make a fine secretary of state in a Romney administration. There is recent precedent for a president to put one of his rivals for the White House in that job. Hillary Clinton has worked out quite nicely.

Huntsman came along too late, or maybe too soon, to be the kind of Republican who wins his party’s nomination for president, but his impact on this presidential race was a lot bigger than his poll numbers and his primary vote might lead us to believe.

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With just over a week to go until the Iowa Caucus, the GOP nomination is still pretty wide open. Although some things have been cleared up, Iowa is still very volitil. GOP hopefuls have not spent as much time in Iowa as in recent years and do not have as many people on the ground. They are instead relying on the many debates and more internet campaigns. Voters in Iowa, like in New Hampshire often relish these face to face encounters that they have had the privilege of in the past elections and many make their decisions based on these encounters. The lack of interaction will lead to more volatility. Now for the state-by-state breakdown:

Iowa- It doesn’t seem like Iowa will be as much of a swing state as in the past. Whoever wins will probably not blow anyone out so it could still be wide open after Iowa. Ron Paul has been leading in the polls and his supports are way more likely to vote for him than say, Newt Gingrich. If Paul doesn’t win, then it is up to Romney, Gingrich, and Perry. Out of these three Perry has the most to gain, As Romney can look good anywhere, plus he’s got New Hampshire coming up, he can afford a second, third, or even fourth place finish. If either of the other two win it will most likely be a lateral move as each have support in South Carolina and New Hampshire. Paul would benefit greatly from a win, But a Perry win could really bring some momentum to a campaign that has been in a free fall since the week after he entered the race.

New Hampshire-It is a little more clearer here, but it will still be a huge state for several second-tier candidates. Huntsman could go a long way in extending his campaign and a surprise win by anyone else could do the same. Huntsman has put all of his eggs in New Hampshire’s basket and if he finishes in the top three his campaign might last until after Florida depending on what he does in South Carolina and Florida. A win for Huntsman would create a real fight in Florida for some Independents and Blue Republicans. A Romney win would simply reaffirm him as what he is- a top rate, intelligent candidate-and perhaps loosen him up a little. New Hampshire being a pretty liberal state, Independents will play a huge part in anyone’s win and hardcore GOPers will probably dismiss whoever wins as a ‘progressive’. Excpect for either Bachmann or Santorum or both to drop out if both have bad showings in Iowa and New Hampshire.

South Carolina-So far the most conservative state. Look for Gingrich to have a great showing. Romney will probably also have a good showing. If Huntsman does well in New Hampshire he will be hard pressed to keep the momentum going in South Carolina as he has very little infrastructure in South Carolina and look for him to drop out after this, although if he pulls of a miracle and does well in SC he might have a lot of momentum going into Florida.

To wrap it all up it is a crapshoot. Romney is looking good and so could a lot of other candidates if they get some pieces to fall into place for them. In the end it will be Romney against someone to be named later. And that someone might be able to give Romney a good fight.

Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina have all had their share of Republican debates. The poll ballots have been counted and each state picked a different winner as their choice for the Republican nominee. Some say these debates are splitting the vote too many ways as the process continues. Many are also saying the constant barrage of negative ad campaigns will tarnish the remaining candidates too greatly to gather enough support, but this is nothing compared to the onslaught which will be brought down on the Republican candidate who faces Obama in November. Your candidate needs to be prepared and these debates are helping him; whoever he is…including Ron Paul.

Now with the field narrowed; I’m sure you are beginning to rally behind “your” candidate. What will you do if “your” candidate drops out of the race? Many have ended their runs for president, leaving three strong candidates and Ron Paul. Many of the early drop outs in the process did so because of various pressures brought on by debate performance, poll results, campaign support or personal scandals. It seemed every week there was a new front-runner. This was a necessary process to help get the quality candidates we have today.

DO NOT RELY ON THE HIGHLIGHT REELS

The debates should be reviewed in their entirety in order to reveal which candidate you feel works best under pressure. This is a primary skill of the candidate who will perform best against Obama. One thing I hear often is only one candidate will beat Obama. That is not true. Anyone can beat Obama. We are in a far worse state since Obama became president. Even today, Obama blames anything but himself for the country’s continued economic decline. Obama’s Stimulus Plan has sunk this country into more debt quicker than any other president in history. Obama’s poor performance as a leader and the far-reaching polices which expand the tentacles of government into our lives need to stop if we want our children to have the same opportunities to succeed as we do. I could run against Obama with that kind of performance and I won’t need a teleprompter.

DON’T COUNT ON FLORIDA

Florida is just another step in the process just like South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa. Florida is not the best at reliable ballot counting practices either. Whichever candidate wins Florida will gain momentum until something else is brought to our attention by the media or the Democratic Party. We have to take these hits in stride. See how your candidate responds to criticism. See how your candidate handles pressure. One of the best performances I have seen to date was the exchange between John King and Newt Gingrich in South Carolina as John tried to throw Gingrich a curve ball by asking about a recent interview with his ex-wife. The response was priceless: Gingrich stood his ground confidently and did not show any sign of nervousness or backpedalling as he spoke. It is examples like these which you need to look for in your candidate

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE

Remember what you and every other independent and Republican wants to do: beat Obama. Four more years of Obama will mean further borrowing without spending cuts, a smaller military force, full implementation of “Obama Care” and more government regulation of our lives. We are still a country of individuals who all have the opportunity to succeed. We cannot forget that and we must fight in order to keep it. If your candidate does not end up being the nominee to face Obama in November, know that any of the candidates would bury Obama in a debate; even Ron Paul.

Mitt Romney did not win the U.S. area code in Iowa yet.

south carolina primary U.S. primaries: shame for Romney, Perry is on

While Texas Gov. Rick Perry got out surprisingly out of the race, Mitt Romney was the favorite retroactively stripped of victory in the opener at Iowa Code. A recount has shown that on 3 January did not achieve the ex-governor of Massachusetts, the majority, but his challenger, Rick Santorum, told the party.

The former senator from Pennsylvania was ultimately located 34 votes against Romney. However, the Republicans would face not in a position to elect Santorum later the winner. From eight election districts missing certifiable results, which could ultimately make the difference for the real output. The start code was thus officially ended in a draw. Coordinate the distribution of the delegates from Iowa, in late August at the election the Republican candidate on the changes, but not by correcting.

So far, Romney had felt as a two-time winner code and thus perpetuate his favorite status. He had emerged in Iowa according to the previous census by a margin of eight votes from the election. The week after he had won with a high house edge in New Hampshire.

Perry, meanwhile, conceded, no chance to have a success in the primaries. “I know when the time has come for a strategic retreat,” he said in Charleston, South Carolina. He will continue his previous competitors Newt Gingrich help you to stand as a challenger to Democratic incumbent Barack Obama. The former parliamentary speaker was a “conservative visionary” who could change the United States.

It gave the 61-year-old just two days before the area code in the conservative southern state. He had been lying there in the polls at the lower end of the entrants, which now consists of four politicians. Just a few days ago, former U.S. ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman says his departure from the race for the White House.

Favorite in South Carolina is Romney. Pollsters saw the former multi-millionaire entrepreneur and last an average of over seven percentage points ahead of Gingrich. The libertarian Congressman Ron Paul and the socially conservative ex-Senator Santorum are cut off relatively well. It was expected that many voters make the final decision after a by CNN on Thursday evening (local time) broadcast debate.

While the new support was good news from the Perry-outs for Gingrich, a recent TV interview could his ex-wife Marianne spell trouble for the twice divorced. As the ABC reported in preliminary statements, the woman talks about the time her husband’s request to have an open marriage in order to have fun with at least one other woman can. She described him as morally unfit for the White House

His supporters called for post-election poll’s electability in November “as the primary motive for their decision. Of the 1144 delegates, Romney needs a majority in the nominating convention in Tampa, he has backed up to New Hampshire 16th

Romney with 39 percent achieved exactly the average of the victorious candidates reach the average. His victory is still meager, considering that he as governor in the neighboring state of Massachusetts and owner of a holiday villa in New Hampshire had a home game. Concern must be for the Republicans and the turnout, which was below the prior four years. Because of enthusiasm.

Nevertheless, it could run for the country club candidate hardly better in the last days of huge, because of its practices at the head of the investment bank, “Bain Capital” was under pressure. His critics schärftsen walked behind the outsider Ron Paul on the goal line.

Paul won nearly 23 percent, is due to its foreign policy but not as a majority of Republicans. He remains a considerable nuisance because the delegates votes will be awarded proportionally for the first time. Many in the party fear that Paul could compromise with its highly motivated supporters compete as an independent. Quite possible, given his advanced old. With 76 years in 2012, perhaps his last chance.

Jon Huntman scored a hollow victory with about 17 percent, who took not in Iowa. He has no chance in the party moved further to the right. Thanks to the billions Obama has his father’s former ambassador to China had enough resources, forcing Romney in South Carolina to compete for the moderate voices along the coast.

In the competition for the “non-Romney” position of the Conservatives were the arch-conservative Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich on par with just under ten percent. While Santorum has the power of Christian fundamentalists in South Carolina on his side, Gingrich has shooters on the help of a wealthy casino mogul from Las Vegas.

All eyes are now on South Carolina, where on 21 January, the first primaries held in the South. Mind you Primaries of superlatives, where so much money is spent than ever before. Romney’s Super-Pac will spend just as Gingrich’s more than three million dollars in television advertising in the Palmetto State. There are also millions of Santorum, Huntsman and Paul, who will break all records.

For comparison, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton put 2008 in their epic nomination battle not so much in advertising, as Gingrich will spend alone in the conservative state. Romney has the best chance for the nomination if he wins in South Carolina.

Although the Republican electorate here consists of 60 percent of Christian fundamentalists, as before Romney could benefit in Iowa from the fragmentation of rights. Not one of the losing candidates in New Hampshire has abandoned the race. Also, this is new. When the right wing does not wake up very quickly, he could become a majority in spite of the party very soon overtaken by Romney.

On Romney is waiting in the poverty-stricken state of a massive attack from the right to its business practices at Bain Capital. He is aware of what to expect from him and shares his winning speech. “Obama will make the free enterprise system in court. In recent days we have seen Republicans to help him. This is a terrible mistake. “Well, that’s by no means the favorite of party leadership, which is defined by its internal party rivals negative.

The importance of primaries in the southern state can hardly be overestimated. The moment of truth here. Unlike New Hampshire or Iowa in the history of South Carolina has been consistently voted for the future of the Republican presidential candidates.

Washington. Shortly before the Republican primary in the U.S. state of South Carolina, according to a television report highlights another candidate to sail. The Texas Governor Rick Perry on Thursday will have its exit from the race to declare the presidency.

The U.S. news channel CNN reported, citing unnamed sources. The 51-year-old will no longer participate in the scheduled for the evening television debate of the transmitter.

Thus, only four candidates are fighting about, voted for challenger to incumbent Barack Obama in the November election to be. Favorite is the former governor of Massachusetts, and multi-millionaire Mitt Romney, who is also in South Carolina is well in the polls before his most serious challenger Newt Gingrich. Romney had won the last code in New Hampshire and also achieved success in Iowa. Perry was however far behind, according to pollsters.

Just a few days ago, former U.S. ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman says his departure from the race for the White House. In the conservative southern state elected on Saturday

Paul got 21% of the votes in Iowa and 23% of the vote in New Hampshire and he is the only candidate other than Romney, who has succeeded well in both states. This is a sign of strength when the two states are very different: one more evangelical and social conservative, the other more moderate and conservative on economic issues.

Enthusiasm is high among Paul’s supporters. They are not only dedicated but also energetic and hyperactive on the Internet. They come quickly to his defense, manages his affairs, filling comment boxes everywhere, from the national newspaper’s opinion pages to the most obscure blogs. Paul differs widely from the other candidates. In the end, Romney is representing Romney and Newt is represents Newt, but Paul is not a conventional candidate, but more a political statement, a position, one thing.

Paul is not out to win and he openly acknowledges that he can not see himself in the White House. The other candidates campaigns are short-term business with the presidency as a goal, Paul is looking to build a movement. That explains his happiness after the outcome in New Hampshire. Normally, the losing candidates will play that they are satisfied with the outcome, but Paul’s joy was genuine to the point that he had difficulty concentrating for his acceptance speech. That he is not trying to win partly explains also why the criticism of him has so little effect.

Paul has every reason to be happy. He has spent decades looking into the political wilderness. At best, he has characterized as eccentric, his ideas have not been taken seriously and his supporters have often been described as something you would find at a Star Trek show. But now he has the chance to reach a larger audience and get their message out.

Paul has been a Tea Party activist for decades, that is, long before the movement was formed, and he is described as the intellectual godfather. The U.S. budget deficit, the soaring national debt and war weariness after Iraq and Afghanistan is an excellent breeding ground for Paul’s message and his libertarianism, which briefly advocated a minimal state and maximum individual liberty. Libertarianism has gone from being a peripheral business to now be a strong voice in a large established party. Paul would essentially take home all American troops that are stationed abroad, which many analysts considered an almost impossible position, also seems to have a certain pitch. Paul now appears frequently in national media on prime time and he is now respected by his victories over the other candidates.

Paul has two goals. The first is to make himself the leader of the opposition within the Republican Party. In a way, he tries to carve out a position in the party, like the position that Jesse Jackson had in the Democratic Party in the 1980s. Jackson represented a strong group of African-American and left-activist voters who demanded the attention of the Democratic Party. At the Democratic Convention was his speech massive attention and his presence overshadowed in some cases even the party’s various candidates.

Paul will not end his candidacy, such as John Huntsman did recently. He will continue right up to the Republican convention in Florida in late August. It will probably not go well for him, neither in the upcoming elections in South Carolina or Florida, but he and his supporters will not give up. The goal is to accumulate as many delegates as possible to the convention. If he succeeds in getting the second highest number of delegates, which he probably dreams of, he has a strong negotiating position to influence the convention and give himself a speech in prime time. Then he can finally reach out and explain their ideas to a wider audience before he concludes by declaring his support for the Republican Party’s candidate.

The Democratic Party’s convention this fall will be a strictly directed the spectacle in which Obama of course will hold the lead. The Republican convention may well be far more unfocused when Paul could play a major role. If Paul gets his numbers will the American people and the world to hear a leading Republican advocate for including the laying down of the U.S. central bank, the CIA, and several other agencies, a withdrawal of U.S. troops from virtually all over the world. In addition to this, he will also say that the terrorist attack on September 11 was more or less self-inflicted and that neither a nuclear Iran or the use of illegal drugs is any real problem for the nation.

For some this is a disaster, but for American libertarians, this will be a historic moment. After years in the periphery, they finally acknowledged and recognized!

Paul’s second goal has to do with the movement’s survival and future. Paul is 76 years old and he will never be the U.S. president. The motive behind his candidacy is more about movement and about his son than for himself. His son, Rand, who is 49 years old and senator in Kentucky, brought up right now to take over and manage all of Paul’s disciples. Rand is more polished and acceptable than his father, who occasionally gives a confused impression and also has a past that can be turned against him. Rand is better positioned as a senator than his father who only member of Congress.

Paul’s candidacy is thus to create a family dynasty, and to push the movement forward. It has been speculated a lot of if Paul would stand as an independent candidate. Paul, do this, he would virtually guarantee that Obama will be reelected, because basically only the Republicans would vote for him. My analysis is that this is not very probable, as it would damage not only the movement and his personal legacy, but also his son’s political future.

Paul would hardly be remembered as the one in which third-party candidate, who gave Obama the victory. He would probably rather be remembered as a man who uncompromisingly stood for libertarian principles, and whose movement pushed the nation closer to these ideals.

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“And change is keeping one of the first promises I made in 2008 — ending the war in Iraq and bringing our troops home.  (Applause.)  The war is over and our troops are home.  And instead, we refocused our efforts on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11.  And thanks to our brave men and women in uniform, al Qaeda is weaker than it’s ever been, and Osama bin Laden will never again walk the face of this Earth.  That’s what change is.  (Applause.)”

The president also listed Obamacare as a change he was responsible for, though he failed to mention the unpopularity of his signature legislation.

And the president warned that Republicans threaten the “very core of what this country stands for.”

“The very core of what this country stands for is on the line — the basic promise that no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, this is a place where you could make it if you try. The notion that we’re all in this together, that we look out for one another — that’s at stake in this election. Don’t take my word for it.  Watch some of these debates that have been going on up in New Hampshire.”

Supporters of President Obama’s reelection effort paid at least $100 for tickets to attend tonight’s event. A reported 700 folks were in attendance.

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“This president has opened up no new markets for American goods around the world in his three years, even as European nations and China have opened up 44,” Mr. Romney charged.

Not true: Mr. Obama has signed three trade deals since taking office, one each with South Korea, Panama and Colombia. The South Korean deal was characterized by Bloomberg News as the largest trade deal since the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994.

Pushed by the Web site PolitiFact on the discrepancy, aides to Mr. Romney said the criticism was accurate because the deals originated in negotiations under the Bush administration, before Mr. Obama took office.

But the fact remains that all three were signed by Mr. Obama in October 2011. Indeed, PolitiFact noted that all three agreements faced significant resistance from the president’s own party, but ultimately passed after extensive negotiations between Mr. Obama and Congress.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.– Jon Huntsman is dropping out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination and will throw his support to rival Mitt Romney.

A Republican close to the campaign, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Huntsman had not yet made his decision public, told Yahoo News the former Utah governor informed his staff of his decision on Sunday night. He’s expected to publicly endorse Romney at a news conference in South Carolina Monday morning.

Huntsman’s decision comes just days after he came in a disappointing third place in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary. The ex-governor, who resigned as President Obama’s ambassador to China to run for president, had bet his entire campaign on a good showing in the state, where voters have often looked favorably upon politicians with moderate political views.

But Huntsman failed to catch fire, in spite of early media buzz about his candidacy. He continued campaigning in South Carolina as late as Sunday afternoon, where his campaign touted a high-profile endorsement from The State, one of the state’s most prominent newspapers. The publication praised Huntsman as a candidate who could unite the country.

Huntsman’s decision to back Romney isn’t surprising, given that the two agree more than they disagree. But they have also long been considered “frenemies,” with a relationship complicated by similar political trajectories and a long history of competition between their families.

The immediate impact of Huntsman’s exit from the race is unclear. He’s lingered near the bottom of most national polls for months, and there’s no sign that he’s gained support in South Carolina, Florida or any upcoming primary states. Yet, Romney’s campaign is likely to cite Huntsman’s endorsement as yet another sign of the party uniting behind the former Massachusetts governor’s candidacy.