How to win while losing

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was looking forward to redeeming himself in the Alabama and Mississippi primaries held Tuesday, but just like in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Georgia earlier this month, the conservative south turned its back on him once again. Rick Santorum won in both states, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich – the big loser in the last few contests - came in second. But you will be surprised to learn that in actuality, Romney, who came in third, was the big winner.

Romney has achieved an almost imaginary feat: winning while you’re losing. The former governor, who commands a significant lead in the number of delegates he has amassed, realized with the help of his advisers that the Republican primaries would play out thus: long, exhausting, expensive and at times ugly and most importantly, we almost forgot, lacking a real leader (possibly until summer).

Romney decided to change course and undertake a new strategy – not a blitz, but a slow painstaking accumulation of delegates. For now, this new strategy is paying off. If he was a soccer team, he would be one of those teams that plays one game at a time, without really trying to win or get the crowd going. The problem with this strategy is that it can work until August, but it won’t work in November.

Even though he came in third in the big southern states, Romney managed to accrue the largest number of delegates (by winning the caucuses in Hawaii and American Samoa). Santorum enjoyed the victories, but Romney enjoys the delegates. The only thing that should still be troubling Romney is that he may get labeled a “loser.” Throughout history Americans have loved their winners, and that is perhaps why Romney is considering investing large sums to campaign in Louisiana – the last southern bastion he has a shot of winning.

Romney still has Puerto Rico, Missouri and Illinois ahead of him. Illinois, Obama’s old stomping ground, will pose the biggest challenge.

Gingrich, despite his losses to Santorum, isn’t showing any signs of quitting. There are still far too many delegates to be had. Gingrich and Santorum will continue to fight over the heart of conservative America, while Romney will continue filling up his piggy bank like a bar mitzvah boy.

In August, despite everything, Romney’s piggy bank should have enough delegates in it to secure him the nomination. Santorum can always tell his grandchildren how he fought with valor and won in the South. In America, that counts for something.

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