Let's get ready to rumble! Tuesday Night Smackdown: God-Man vs. Mitt-Bot 3000!

[Political Gamer]

[release]Polls are closing within hours in the Michigan and Arizona Republican presidential primaries, culminating a final day of campaigning that saw supporters of Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum spar over efforts by Mr. Santorum to get Democrats to vote in Michigan's contest.

The results of the Michigan primary in particular could determine whether Mr. Santorum has a realistic shot at the GOP nomination. A loss by Mr. Romney in Michigan, where his father was governor, would damage his efforts to establish himself as the presumptive nominee and would suggest conservatives still haven't warmed to him.

In Michigan, some polling places close at 8 p.m. and others at 9 p.m. Eastern time, while in Arizona, most close at 9 p.m. Eastern time and a few at 10 p.m. Surveys suggest a comfortable lead for Mr. Romney in Arizona, but in Michigan, a tight race could mean a late night before final results are known.

The outcome will set the stage for the biggest primary day of the year, a week from now, when 10 states hold Republican primaries or caucuses on March 6, Super Tuesday.

The biggest wild card in Michigan is a late bid by Mr. Santorum's campaign to urge Democrats, who can vote in the GOP primary, to cast ballots for the former Pennsylvania senator. Santorum spokesman Hogan Gidley said the campaign had used automated calls to court conservative "Reagan Democrats" in Michigan.

"If we can get the Reagan Democrats in the primary, we can get them in the general," Mr. Gidley said. "Reagan Democrats will come on board for Rick Santorum."

The calls urged Democrats to vote against Mr. Romney because of his opposition to the bailout of the Michigan auto industry, even though Mr. Santorum opposed that bailout as well.

Mr. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, denounced the tactic Tuesday, saying Republicans should reject "dirty tricks by a desperate campaign."

At a news conference, Mr. Romney said, "I think Republicans have to recognize there's an effort to kidnap our primary process." He said the Michigan contest was "too close to call."

A new survey by Public Policy Polling found Mr. Santorum leading Mr. Romney 47% to 10% among Democrats, but they are likely to make up fewer than 10% of voters in the GOP primary.

Public Policy Polling said Democratic support could be "enough to put [Mr. Santorum] over the top" but added that "the big question is whether those folks will actually bother to show up and vote."

Michigan GOP Chairman Robert Schostak suggested the Democratic vote wouldn't have much influence.

President Barack Obama spoke Tuesday to a United Auto Workers conference in Washington, where he trumpted his own strong support of the auto bailout. "I placed my bet on American workers. And I'll make that same bet again any day of the week," Mr. Obama said.

He dismissed charges by Mr. Romney that he pushed the bailout to repay unions for supporting him, calling that a "load of you-know-what."

Polls show Mr. Romney erased Mr. Santorum's earlier lead in Michigan, and he appeared to gain momentum in recent days. Mr. Romney has attacked Mr. Santorum as a Washington insider, and Mr. Santorum has found himself caught up in debates about contraception and the separation of church and state.

Still, the race is tight. An aggregation of polls compiled by the website Real Clear Politics shows Mr. Romney with a 1.5-percentage-point lead over Mr. Santorum in Michigan, with Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich trailing by large margins.

While Mr. Romney—who has proclaimed that the Michigan vote is "personal" to him—has recovered to a statistical tie with Mr. Santorum, the former Massachusetts governor finds himself in a remarkably defensive position for a Michigan-born son of a prominent state political family.

At his news conference Tuesday, Mr. Romney was asked why he hasn't generated excitement among many Republican voters. He said one reason was that he wasn't "willing to say really outrageous things" to get elected.

"You know, I'm not willing to light my hair on fire to try and get support. I am who I am," he said.

Even a narrow Romney win is unlikely to quell anxiety among some Republicans over the potential for a grueling, divisive primary fight that may hurt the party's chances against Mr. Obama in the fall.

Beyond Tuesday's vote totals, Mr. Romney is seeking to dispel the notion that he struggles to connect with blue-collar workers.

In the contests so far, Mr. Romney has done well in wealthier counties but has lagged behind in less-well-off areas. He will struggle if the same pattern holds true in Michigan, where only 18 of the 83 counties have a household income higher than the state median.

It is possible for Mr. Santorum or Mr. Romney to lose the popular vote in Michigan but win the delegate count—an outcome that would muddy the results and allow both to claim victory.

As for the other two candidates, it has been five weeks since Mr. Gingrich surged to a win in South Carolina, and early January since Mr. Paul grabbed the spotlight with strong back-to-back showings in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Both have had disappointing finishes in most of the other races this month, and both have landed in the lower tier of Michigan and Arizona polls. Mr. Gingrich has been pinning his hopes on winning at least his home state of Georgia on Super Tuesday.[/release][url]http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204653604577251272804570082.html[/url]

[[Seed Eater]]

[quote]The biggest wild card in Michigan is a late bid by Mr. Santorum's campaign to urge Democrats, who can vote in the GOP primary, to cast ballots for the former Pennsylvania senator. Santorum spokesman Hogan Gidley said the campaign had used automated calls to court conservative "Reagan Democrats" in Michigan.[/quote]

Best part is that the Democratic Party is supporting this over here, too, because they think that Santorum can't possibly win the general election.

Which is retarded.

[Clunj]

[quote]God-Man vs. Mitt-Bot 3000![/quote]

:v:

[Firefox42]

[QUOTE=Clunj;34923865]:v:[/QUOTE]

I'd play to see it.

[VengfulSoldier]

MAKE A VIDEOGAME OF THIS NOW!