Romney, Gingrich, Paul are trouble symptoms

“A "kissing cousin" is any cousin that is not a first cousin. In most places in the world, first cousins may not have sex and have babies. But, in most cultures second cousins and higher can have sex and babies. Degree of cousinship is determined by how many generations the shared ancestor is removed from the individual closest to the generation of the shared ancestor.”

“Will Romney-Gingrich battle lead to costly split in the GOP?

View Photo Gallery — January The latest polls show former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney surging in the Florida Republican primary race.

By Dan Balz, Monday, January 30, 12:14 PM

TAMPA — Newt Gingrich has vowed to take his fight for the nomination all the way to the Republican convention in August. That may be nothing more than an empty threat by a frustrated candidate with a history of exaggerated rhetoric. But could Gingrich’s battle against Mitt Romney leave the party badly divided heading into the fall campaign?

That question will intensify if Romney wins a big victory in Florida on Tuesday. Election-eve polls show the former Massachusetts governor with a healthy lead here, though the volatility of the Republican race so far this year makes forecasting more precarious than in the past. But already the lines are being drawn over whether Gingrich, if he loses badly, should begin to throttle back or keep the pressure on Romney.

Behind in the polls the day before the Florida Republican presidential primary, Gingrich criticizes Romney's negative advertising and urges supporters to help get out the vote. (Jan. 30)

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GOP PRIMARY TRACKER: The race for delegates

Former Republican senator Mel Martinez (Fla.) said Monday that he cringes at the prospect of a lengthy and bitter contest continuing through the spring and into the summer. “It only benefits President Obama,” he said on NBC’s “Daily Rundown.”

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, no friend of the establishment, took the opposite view over the weekend on Fox News. She accused the establishment of trying to “crucify” Gingrich and said it is far too soon to call a halt to the debate and the vetting of the candidates. “If for no other reason, rage against the machine, vote for Newt,” Palin said.

Whatever the outcome Tuesday, the Florida campaign has crystallized the battle between Romney and Gingrich. The backlash against Gingrich since his victory in South Carolina has made Romney the clear establishment favorite in a party where tensions between the party elite and its insurgent grass roots are still strong. The endorsement of Gingrich by former candidate Herman Cain, a tea party favorite, underscored the split.

Gingrich is hardly the perfect vehicle to lead a tea party protest against the establishment-backed Romney, given his record as former House speaker and later as a Washington consultant. But he has the capacity, if not the resources, to wage a lengthy and personal campaign against his rival. In the past few days, he has escalated his attacks on Romney, labeling the former governor as a liberal rather than a moderate and calling Romney’s character and honesty into question.

Romney has responded by matching insult with insult. He has belittled Gingrich as a complainer and doubled down on his attacks on the former speaker over his work for the housing agency Freddie Mac. Romney’s campaign appearances are mild compared to the negative ads running constantly on television here, both from the Romney campaign and the super PAC supporting his candidacy.

Political analysts are looking at past nomination battles for clues as to what might happen if the Romney-Gingrich contest continues unabated for some time.

At this time four years ago, Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton were waging an increasingly nasty campaign against one another, coming out of a South Carolina primary in which former president Bill Clinton was accused of playing the race card against Obama by some African American leaders. Though many predicted otherwise, Obama and Clinton eventually reconciled.”