CHARLESTON, January 21, 2012–The South Carolina primary was supposed to be a nail-biter, but when the polls closed at 7pm EST, the media quickly called Newt Gingrich the winner and Mitt Romney the second-place finisher.
The critical battle for third place would come down to Rick Santorum and Ron Paul.
The updated Iowa results tilted the victory from Romney to Santorum. South Carolina further changed the narrative because instead of Mitt Romney going for his third straight victory, now Santorum, Romney, and Gingrich each have one victory under their belt.
Ron Paul supporters claimed victory as they do after every event, despite their candidate still winning nothing. Ron Paul supporters get enraged, because in their world emotions matter more than actual numbers.
In another eerie coincidence, inclement weather may have played a key role in the results. In 2008, a snowstorm in one part of the state may have cost Mike Huckabee the win over John McCain.
In 2012, hard rain throughout the state may have been a factor. In Charleston, the skies did not open up until after the polls were closed. Other cities in the North were not so lucky.
While Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich held their celebrations in Columbia, Rick Santorum chose The Citadel, a military college of South Carolina in Charleston. I have spoken to the Cadets in the past, and just being at the Citadel is an inspiring and humbling experience.
People think of Rick Santorum as just a social conservative, but he has a long history of being pro-military. Many of the cadets have been enthusiastically backing him and as Senator Santorum came to the podium the room erupted in chants of “We pick Rick.”
Santorum made it clear that he is staying in the race and is moving on to Florida, Nevada, Arizona, and the rest of the state primaries.
He pointed out that three different states chose three different winners, proving what a fantastic country this is. He also, in his typically classy fashion, had the crowd compliment Mr. Gingrich on his winning this primary.
To understand Mr. Santorum is to comprehend that family means everything to him. His family is his life. Six of his seven children were on the stage with him, as was his wife. After he finished speaking, he hugged all of them in warm, tight embraces.
Because Mr. Santorum is decidedly conservative on social issues, he remains a lightning rod for those who refuse to see him as a human being. The left has never been scrupulous about conducting honest disagreements and at this event, they came out in the worst way.
Occupy Wall Street protesters got into the room and began chanting, “occupy” and “bigot.” I was only a couple feet from Mr. Santorum when the craziness erupted, and this was a genuine threat to his safety.
Thankfully the Santorum family was already out of the room. The security people knew who I was, and I quickly moved out of the way so they could corral the protesters.
The scene was so chaotic that a couple people thought I was actually being attacked by security. Pictures were being taken and I did have to move backwards.
Let me be crystal clear. Senator Santorum’s security detail moved swiftly, decisively, and effectively. The protesters were escorted out, and calm was restored.
Leftist protesters are not the brightest people in the world. In the same way, bringing a knife to rob a gun store makes little sense, trying to start a protest in a room with Citadel cadets is a seriously bad move.
There may also be a picture of Senator Santorum trying to shake my hand and me giving him an elbow instead. I have met Senator Santorum many times, including this week. I still had a cold, so I offered him an elbow so as not to get him sick.
Rick Santorum at the Citadel (Image: Eric Golub)
He then remembered I was sick and was appreciative. I gave him a copy of my book with a warm, private inscription.
Lastly, I promised him that I would see him in Florida, and by then I would give him a healthy, hearty handshake.
Rick Santorum did not win the South Carolina primary in the traditional sense. Gingrich had 40% for a surprisingly momentous win. Romney had 27%, with Santorum at 18% and Paul in last at 12%.
Yet despite the results, Mr. Santorum is standing his ground. As other candidates have come and gone, he remains in the top three, with as many wins as the others.
Rick Santorum never had much money. He simply works harder than most. He has character and heart, and that is what propelled him to the top in Iowa.
That is what keeps him a contender for the presidency.
Brooklyn born, Long Island raised, and now living in Los Angeles, Eric Golub is a politically conservative columnist, blogger, author, public speaker, satirist and comedian.
Eric is the author of the book trilogy “Ideological Bigotry, “Ideological Violence,” and “Ideological Idiocy.” Eric is 100% alcohol, tobacco, drug, and liberalism free. After years of dating liberals, he has finally seen the light and now only dates Republican Jewish women. His family is pleased over this. Republican, Jewish women, you may contact Eric above.
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Eric Golub is an independent writer for the Communities. Read more from Eric at his TYGRRRR EXPRESS blog.
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