New Hampshire Primary Results Disappointing, Though Not Surprising (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | The New Hampshire primary is over. Mitt Romney took the state with about 40 percent of the votes, according to CNN, with Ron Paul earning 23 percent and Jon Huntsman surging to take third place with 17 percent. The roster of the top three isn't a huge surprise but I still see evidence of disappointment in the results.

Part of it comes from my circle of friends and acquaintances via social media. People aren't shy about sharing their feelings through those platforms and political posts have been common over the last 18 hours. I see a lot of rallying cries for Ron Paul despite the candidate having been so overworked he had to skip a planned campaign stop, according to the Boston Herald. I've seen some positive material about Jon Huntsman. Romney's received no positive commentary from anyone I know.

I plenty of negativity about Romney from New Hampshire residents, though. The chief complaint I hear is about his victory speech, which people describe as "smug" or "full of lies." They may be right to do so, as a Huffington Post report evaluated its truthfulness and found it lacking. The report describes Romney misrepresenting facts and figures, failing to place responsibility on Republican policy and concealing his own health plan's use as a template for Obamacare.

The Boston Herald posted the transcript of Romney's speech. I dare say it will take less time to read it than to listen to a video of Romney delivering. PBS posted the speech on YouTube if you want to experience Romney's delivery.

With such an absence of Romney support visible to me I'm left wondering where his votes came from. Were they from less tech-savvy conservatives in the state? Did he win votes from people who are all, to the last man and woman, too private in their political beliefs to share them? Does my circle of contacts contain no one who believes in Romney enough to offer a simple hurrah for him?

I voted for Paul. While I did not expect him to carry the state, it would have pleased me if the gap between Romney and the other candidates was narrower. As a New Hampshire resident I value freedom and independent thought. I'm left feeling like a silent mass of voters simply succumbed to the Romney campaign without passionate belief in it.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120111/pl_ac/10821089_new_hampshire_primary_results_disappointing_though_not_surprising

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