why none of the candidates have dropped out....

[constitutionalism]

any thoughts on the matter?
It could be because none of them can accept or admit that it's a two man race between Romney and Paul and continue to vie for the anti-romney position

 

[AhuwaleKaNaneHuna]

I agree. It's pride and or, they are being told to stay in to dilute Paul being the anti-Romney candidate.

 

[acptulsa]

Cain and Bachmann are still in this race? Well, why the hell did they say otherwise?

Where's that tinfoil--I seem to be getting bad information into my brain somehow.

 

[KEEF]

The puppet master hasn't given them permission yet. They still need to be used to distract people away from and Mitt's record and RP.

 

[tbone717]

It's not a pride issue, it is a money issue. As long as they have the money to stay in they will, because it gives them more exposure for their long term goal. The lower tier in this race are all first timers for the Presidential nomination. Only Paul and Romney have been to the dance before. The others are in this not to win, but to get a cabinet spot, VP slot, sell more books, up their speaking fees, positioning for 2016 or whatever. It is the same as what Alan Keyes used to do. The longer he could stay in, the more in demand he was for speaking engagements.

 

[Kevin Smyth]

Gingrich will dropout if he performs badly in South Carolina, he's expecting a win there to put him back on track as a frontrunner.

 

[hueylong]

There is no reason for them to drop out yet. Look for several dropouts after South Carolina. And more after Florida.

 

[Sola_Fide]

They are all fighting for the anti-ROMNEY. Like Wead said, these candidates are committing suicide in SC by pouring everything they have in there.

 

[Ronulus]

They believe they have a better chance in SC and also anything could happen. Look at Santorum in Iowa. If only Perry or Gingrich could get a media bump without the negatives being exposed.

 

[Kevin Smyth]

The biggest fool is the no-momentum Perry thinking he stands a chance in South Carolina after 1% in New Hampshire.

 

[back2basics]

all of the candidates are indirectly taking media time from paul, by them being in the race it allows for less attention to be focused on main candidates. imagine if it was just mitt and paul in debates, ads, and interviews;paul would then thrash mitt. But because we have 4+ candidates the media is able to allocate time and other questions to other opponents so that threatening paul will be silenced. With time paul will win, it is pretty funny actually because people are now talking about a paul-romney ticket..... common people this will never happen, paul may be respectful and nice to romeny but it is all strategy, why bring out the big guns when it is unnecessary. We have seen only 2 voting days and paul did tremendous, and paul is yet to even use much ammunition on mitt. It will be quite funny when paul hits the tipping point and everyone begins to wonder why they didn't listen to him in the first place. c

 

[stuntman stoll]

The biggest fool is the no-momentum Perry thinking he stands a chance in South Carolina after 1% in New Hampshire.

but he still has campaign money to spend to help his brand and ego

 

[tbone717]

The biggest fool is the no-momentum Perry thinking he stands a chance in South Carolina after 1% in New Hampshire.

He'll spend every dime he has in SC, as will Newt and Santorum. Without a win or a very strong showing they will not have enough cash to continue. They may limp into FL, but they can't go further than that. FL is a very expensive state to campaign in. You have three major TV markets that cost big bucks to run ads in. Also, lodging expenses are higher there than in a state like SC, ie. it costs a lot more to put up a campaign staff for a night in Miami than in Charleston.

 

[abstrusezincate]

I think all the social cons are seeing SC as their firewall. If Romney beats Newt, Santorum, and Perry in SC, game over for them. And game over already for Huntsman. He just hasn't realized it yet.

 

[69360]

3209840243 debates and the 24/7 media cycle are like free campaigning. Why would they drop out? They only drop out when it gets bad enough to damage their personal brand.

 

[itsnobody]

Huntsman and Perry should've dropped out...there's no way Gingrich and Santorum are going to drop out this early

 

[nasaal]

3209840243 debates and the 24/7 media cycle are like free campaigning. Why would they drop out? They only drop out when it gets bad enough to damage their personal brand.

book sales from campaigning seems to be the goal. They will all write books about how the media was unfair to them and how they are ahead of the curve.

 

[abstrusezincate]

After South Carolina, the field will be shrinking to two or three. The only question is if someone besides Paul and Romney will coalesce enough votes to be the third choice. Either race offers perils and opportunities. But we'll be in it.

 

[roc_rob]

Candidates still have more to gain than lose, even if the nomination may be realistically out of reach. A Romney victory would still need a VP. 2016 is in play. Book sales, speaking engagements, and punditry are also considerations. Influencing the direction of the party is another reason. Building momentum for a 3rd party bid is also a realistic consideration.

 

[Babylon]

The biggest fool is the no-momentum Perry thinking he stands a chance in South Carolina after 1% in New Hampshire.

I might be wrong, but I would bet that Perry stays in the longest.

Think about it....

He's a sitting governor.

There are lobbiests in Texas that want him to do certain things.

It would be illegal to write Perry a check for $5,000 in exchange for certain favors.
But, as long as he is running, they can send him a check for his 'Presidential Campaign.'

At some point, a State might get annoyed that their Governor is out-of-pocket for months at a time.
But, Texas is a bit odd in that respect as the state legislature only sits every two years.