GOP Nomination - A Super Tuesday (Wednesday) Update

A couple of brief thoughts about or coming from Super Tuesday results:

• we now know that approximately 20%-30% of GOP voters are rock-ribbed evangelicals who may also be bigots. When choosing between a candidate who was campaigning on a mostly conservative platform; whose personal character was unblemished; who received the endorsement of many a social conservative leader OR a populist candidate; who had a Carteresque foreign policy; and who that happened to be a Baptist minister - they chose the latter. They chose Jimmy Carter warmed over.
• Romney got done in Super Tuesday by an avalanche against him coast to coast. This was especially telling in the California primary where he was expected to beat McCain. Instead he couldn't peak 30% and McCain broke 40%. Bad news and not looking good for him going forward. The GOP should start getting used to Bob Dole '96.
• I have always thought that Huckabee's campaign was really an Romney-spoiler campaign. He doesn't have the money or the broad appeal to win. Some people have suggested VP on a McCain ticket based on how cosy he is with McCain. But I discount that possibility: who wants a preacher running second on your ticket with awkward quotes about women's role in marriages or homosexuality being played extensively on the airwaves by the Democrats? Pull the other one. Or perhaps he gets a Secretary position in a McCain cabinet. Ok. Which one exactly? There isn't a Secretary of Theological Affairs! Please! Which gets me to point. His spoiling is to ensure that a Mormon does not have a chance at getting the keys to the White House. The more I see this campaign play out the more I think this true.
• Hugh Hewitt tries to remain upbeat about Romney's chances. Parse that: Romney's finished in '08. Maybe again in '12. And with Romney finished, the GOP can throw the POTUS and Congress away in '08. Jim Geraghty is leaving the door open. I am calling it though: Romney is gone. Look for a grassroots conservative revival starting with '12 leading to success in '16 that will NOT be coming from the South. That's a long time.

Update 8:20PM AEST: Observation - Aside from Massachusetts and Utah (which are both home states), Romney won none of the primary states. However, he won every single caucus state except for West Virginia (and only after back room deal with McCain). He even won Minnesota despite the GOP governor being a long time McCain supporter. Any rationale explanation for that?

Update 8:30PM AEST: John Mark Reynolds weighs in. Provides less jaded view of things before and after his ballot was cast.

Update 10:50PM AEST: Maybe Romney is lucky. Conservative meltdown in '07 and '08?

Update 7/02/08 8:00AM AEST: Here's an answer to the question I asked at 8:20PM last night:

Caucuses are ordinarily dominated by grassroots party activists who actively follow the race. It's very encouraging that those who are following the race closely and who represent the party's conservative base are actively supporting the governor.

Also, Hugh Hewitt is coming to grip with reality.