Mean
I think the whole story of South Carolina comes down to this , as so succinctly put at Daily Kos: "Gingrich won by being mean... His win is based on that. And the SC Republicans (and a large part of the Republican base) want mean." That's it. The Republican "base" is tired of having people suggest that race hatred and greed are less than honorable characteristics, and they are angry about it. So they are ready to openly abandon any pretense that they give a damn about all of their religious cant and family values hooey, and get in line behind the meanest motherfucker they can find, even if he is an openly corrupt, grossly immoral son of a bitch who would steal his granny's coffin if it made him a nickel (and probably marry her too, if he thought it would advance his political career,) and who makes fools of them every time he opens his mouth and utters another preposterous lie. Well, at least here in South Carolina, the first State to go to war to ...