At What Point will Rick Perry's Candidacy be officially pronounced dead, unsalvageable?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

And Perry forced to withdraw?

If he makes it through South Carolina without a win? Something else?

[pinto]

1. At some point I think he's going to snap in a debate. Seems to have a slim

reign on his anger. Check out his body language and facial expressions in that back 'n forth with Romney recently. The guy was clearly seething.

[Turbineguy]

2. When

the Supreme Court makes him president.

[Worship Money]

3. I think they will try

to keep him in the race as a foil for Romney as long as possible.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. Why? If he can't win, it just causes Romney to spend money campaigning against him.

Although to be fair, Romney is already largely campaigning against Obama.

If it is clear that Romney will be the nominee (and it looks fairly clear now that he will), it's in the GOP's interest to wrap it up as early as possible so the nominee can start campaigning against Obama in earnest.

[workinclasszero]

13. OMG the freepers will go absolutely batshit insane when Mittens

is the chosen one!

I mean more batshit insane then usual!:rofl:

I gotta stock up on popcorn so i can watch freakrepublic melt down in righteous teabag fury!:crazy: :silly: :spray:

[Glimmer of Hope]

4. I think he still raising pretty good $$ compared others in the circus.

[polichick]

6. When his money runs out or they come up with another savior...

Too many Republicans will stay on the sidelines if Romney is their candidate - especially Evangelicals and the hard right.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

7. Having defined Obama's presidency as the Greatest Evil in History, the hard right is gonna vote for

Romney. Evangelicals maybe not, but the hard right otherwise has nowhere to go and would have to sit back and not vote and watch Obama be reelected without their input, they will not do that, I think.

[polichick]

8. I think it would impact turnout - best to have someone to vote against and...

...someone to vote for. Maybe that's why Republicans are so deterimined to suppress our vote - it's their only chance.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

9. I agree that Romney would depress GOP turnout somewhat. However,

at this point, since Perry has shown himself to be such a dumbass, I suspect a Perry nomination would also depress the "sane/centrist" "quiet majority" GOP turnout.

[polichick]

10. True - they just don't have a great candidate at this point. So much the better...

...for us.

[customerserviceguy]

12. Not sure who you mean by the hard right

The establishment country clubber Republicons are happy with Romney, but the tea partiers have seen him flip-flop like a fish on the deck of a boat, and they'll have to be dragged into supporting him in the general election. The fundies will simply find a religious whackjob candidate to vote for.

Can Romney pull a Nixon and still win with a massive part of the base being dragged away by a third party? We'll see, but I don't think so. Especially since he cannot pick Rubio as his VP anymore.

[former9thward]

15. Why can't he pick Rubio?

The stuff about when his family moved is meaningless in the long run.

[customerserviceguy]

16. It's not meaningless to the tea partiers

They've spent the last 3-4 years with their birther crap about President Obama, and even if some of them have given up on that, they will want to be seen as being consistent. Romney already has enough trouble with the tea partiers as it is, he doesn't want to buy more.

It's not like Rubio has really done anything important for the Repukes yet, he's only been in office for less than a year. He simply represents a way to attract Latino voters in Rethuglican minds, the same way voting for Herman Cain lets them say they're not racist.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

18. Are you kidding? I realize there are birthers making noise about Rubio, but

I've never known right wingers to give a good damn about being consistent in their positions at all.

[customerserviceguy]

19. They do

but only when it serves them. Most of them really don't want a Latino VP, anyway.

[former9thward]

20. Rubio is a very good speaker.

He gives a better speech than any other Republican or most Democrats. The role of a VP candidate is to be the attack dog. I think he will seriously be considered by whomever wins the R nomination.

[customerserviceguy]

24. Only after it's definitively resolved

that he is a "natural born" citizen.

[customerserviceguy]

11. Not until he's out of money

I imagine he's not raking it in lately, but he still has a buttload of cash from the month where he vaulted to the lead, before he called the rest of the Rethug party heartless.

He'll piddle every dollar of it away attacking Romney, should bloody him up good. Herman Cain is willing to give him extra cheese on that.

[begin_within]

14. The day after his inauguration?

[Honeycombe8]

17. Not for awhile. He's got a lot of $$$. The type of campaign he runs is TV ads, and they're

vicious and neverending, and negative.

He's got a lot of $$$ to spend, and a lot of rich backers. He'll be in it for awhile. (I wonder if he's wondering why the hell he let others talk him into this.)

[AtomicKitten]

21. When he runs out of money.

[AlinPA]

22. That won't happen. He appeals to the republican base more than Romney. Polls don't mean anything

now. He will make his debate errors disappear by saying "Jesus" every other day and going the birther route.

[yellowcanine]

23. I am hoping he hangs in there right into the convention.

Between him and the other fruitcake candidates, they can make it tough for Romney to take reasonable positions which might make him more electable.

[jenmito]

25. I hope he becomes the Repub. nominee. n/t

[golfguru]

26. Correct, if Perry loses SC, he is burned toast n/t