Breaking: Santorum suspends campaign

To the surprise of no one, today Rick Santorum has suspended his campaign for President of the United States.

"We made a decision to get into this race at our kitchen table, against all the odds, and we made a decision over the weekend that while this presidential race is over for me, and we will suspend our campaign effective today, we are not done fighting," Santorum said during an address in Gettysburg, Pa.

During his 14-minute speech, Santorum did not endorse Mitt Romney.

The Pennsylvania Republican had taken a break from the campaign trail for several days to tend to his ailing daughter Bella. He had pledged to continue campaigning through the upcoming Pennsylvania primary. But the combination of his daughter's sickness and recent poll numbers showing him possibly losing his home state apparently prompted the early departure.

Why use the word "suspend", and not "quit"?

It's a political distinction rather than a legal one, said Michael Toner, a prominent Republican election lawyer and former Federal Election Commission chairman.

"It gives you more flexibility politically" and "political cover to get back in the race," if a candidate chooses to do so, Toner said. "It gives you more wiggle room."

By not officially terminating a campaign, a candidate can continue to raise money to retire debt. A candidate would not be allowed to "terminate" their campaign -- in the technical sense with the FEC -- unless they paid off their obligations and debts.

This leaves a clear path for Romney and the nomination, unless significant brokering takes place at the convention this summer.

Comments

[Paul]

What does this story have to do with talk radio? Do we now have to listen to it so YOU don't have to?

[Walt]

Apparently you aren't listening to talk radio because this was on all the talk stations this afternoon.
Anyways it doesn't matter because Santorum only suspended his campaign. He can't terminate it until he has a three day waiting period and gets an ultrasound.

[KS]

Do you think that is supposed to be funny ? That's about as funny as a fart in church :(

[Coiler]

Santorum is a fart in a church...

[Finis Hominis]

Not silent but deadly, but loud and embarrassing. He speaks volumes for the ultra right conservatives.

[KS]

Clearly a flatulent and smelly comment, Finis.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have flatulently loud, embarrassing and toxic ultra left racist ambulence chasers like Jackson and Sharpton - despicable excuses for humans who along with the Black Panthers, give blacks an undeserved bad reputation. Then there are the white liberal progressive demagogues/ambulance chasers like Reid, Schumer, Durbin, Lahey, Boxer, Sherrod Brown, Stabenow, Murray, Nazi Pelosi and Lautenburg whose collectivist farts reek to high heaven.

that's enough to gag a maggot...

[Mike D]

You know, the "New Black Panthers" are hateful idiots, but they really are irrelevent. I don't know why rightwingers insist on giving them so much publicity.

[KS]

Gratuitous violence is irrelevant ? That is what the New Black Panthers are all about. Mike D - Did you check your brain before blogging or were the drugs blogging ?

[KS]

The new black panthers preach gratuitous violence with their hate speech. By your estimation, when they do that it is irrelevant, but when conservatives say anything that resembles anger - that is hate speech, racism etc. and deserves top billing. The D in Mike D must be short for double standard.

[Finis Hominis]

The crazy con has run its course. Think Allen West as opposition to Romney; no one will pick West over Romney. Bow your heads and say a prayer over the loss, or not. But stay tuned, we are in the era of self-serving lying republicans. Mittens will bring forth so many lies, hypocrisy will seem like postscript.

[Truth-seeker]

I thought the topic was Santorum. Why do the rightwingers on this blog have permission to change it all the time?

[Truth-seeker]

You know, Finis, the right doesn't really care what Romney says. They vote for their belief and as long as they vote Republican, they think their belief system will prevail. The rest of us call it hypocrisy but there is not such word on the right. No matter how many contradictions, lies, differing "beliefs," to the rightwingers they are all one.

West is Romney is Walker is Koch is Santorum is Friess is Adelson is Gingrich. I won't include Paul. He's the only honest one in the bunch.

[Finis Hominis]

Yep, you would think they'd want to comment on tonight’s occurrences, but nope. Maybe they are out of talking points. Give ‘em a brake they should have talking points by tomorrow.

[Truth-seeker]

And their magnet is money.

[KS]

I thought the topic was Santorum. Why do the rightwingers on this blog have permission to change it all the time?

Posted by: Truth-seeker | April 11, 2012 at 09:54 PM

Not your business, TS. There is not any more worth saying about Santorum that hasn't been said already - he never was my choice. So keep bringing it with your nihilstic talking points.

[Finis Hominis]

I wonder if Santorum will use the Etch a sketch model when it comes to appealing to the voters of the convention. Yooouuu republicans are so tricky.

[Truth-seeker]

Oh, I know. Rightwingers have special permission to deviate because they can't follow a thread of logic. I get it.

What? Is Santorum going to the convention? Well, that will be a crescendo moment for sure.

[DontWorryBeHappy]

Dont worry, be happy we will have our beloved President for another four, AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK!

[KS]

That bank will go broke and not get bailed out AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK. Ask Ron Paul - he will be the new Secretary of the Treasury.