Updates on the Conservative Vote

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The NYTimes released an article that states the conservative vote is divided in half--where Gingrich and Santorum have a quarter each and Romney has about half to himself. The concern for conservatives is that they haven't chosen a candidate to coalesce around. In fact, one voter supporting Santorum states that, "The question is whether either one alone can get enough votes to win, or whether Romney wins by default." There is clearly, then, anti-Romneyism in South Carolina for several reasons (among them being Bain).

Other forecasts, as of today, include Nate Silver's prediction that argues that opponents facing off for the presidency have had similar favorability numbers, e.g, Gore and Bush; Obama and McCain; (as of today) Obama and Romney. What this can mean is that voters will have an interesting choice when deciding between candidates because previous races have been just as close (poll-wise); thus, by historical precedence the race will be a passionate race of values.

Other happenings in South Carolina include Stephen Colbert's surge in a poll as an article by Dean Obeidallah informs. The article gives Colbert's views that come off as right-wing radical agenda. Here's list of Colbert's view from the article:

-- Unemployment: "Suck it up, unemployed. It is your own damn fault that you don't have a job ... So stop scapegoating Wall Street." Do we really want an American president who sides with Wall Street over workers?

-- Corporate taxes: "If we raise taxes on corporations, what incentive will they have to make money other than the fact that it's the sole reason they exist." Colbert is clearly in the pocket of big business -- I bet his super PAC is funded by big businesses like hedge funds and casino owners.

-- Government helping Americans in need: "I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible. I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical!"

-- Gays: "There is nothing wrong with being gay. I have plenty of friends who are going to hell." Even Rick Santorum would not say this (at least not in public.)

-- America's role in world: "If our Founding Fathers wanted us to care about the rest of the world, they wouldn't have declared their independence from it." Under a Colbert administration, it appears America would just attack other countries for no valid reason.

-- Immigration: "This is America. I don't want my tomato picked by a Mexican. I want it picked by an American, then sliced by a Guatemalan, and served by a Venezuelan in a spa where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian."

And he advocates arresting illegal immigrants and throwing them in "jail -- then we can force them to pick our crops as prison labor."

-- Civil rights: "I just think Rosa Parks was overrated. Last time I checked, she got famous for breaking the law." Even Ron Paul, whose past newsletters contained racist comments, would be appalled by this callous remark.

-- Muslims: "Every permit granted to a mosque is one denied to an American house of worship." Colbert is to the right of Newt Gingrich on this issue, and keep in mind Newt has compared Muslims to Nazis.

It's clear that Colbert is distancing himself from every candidate, but given his late entry into the race he might struggle winning the nomination because the other candidates, such as Huntsman, have been running for about a year. Colbert is fortunate, though, because he already has a Super PAC supporting him with a large sum.

Here's a link to a schedule of primary debates scheduled throughout the year.