Ignoring a candidate's real substance is now a rampant problem for voters in the Republican primary. Mitt Romney knows this; in fact, it makes him jubilant. Consider the latest ABC News/Washington Post polls that show Obama trouncing Gingrich 54 percent to 43 percent nationally, but holding a much slimmer margin over Romney — 51 percent to 45 percent. By focusing the voter's attention on these numbers, which will garner him far more votes than any fiery anti-abortion speech ever could, Romney can win the electability argument while shifting attention away from his policy, which is now nearly the polar opposite of what it was when he governed Massachusetts.

These numbers also spell imminent defeat for Gingrich. If he wishes to survive until Super Tuesday and capitalize on his support in many southern states, then Gingrich will have to find a way to downplay his clear lack of electability. Poll numbers are starting to show that Republicans are waking up to a sobering act: If Gingrich wins the nomination, defeat for their party in the fall is a near guarantee.

Gingrich was able in South Carolina to turn the spotlight on the "liberal media" and harnessed underlying racial prejudices held by many voters. He went on the offensive and masterfully turned hatred toward the establishment, the media and minorities into momentum. The problem is, this type of political hate-mongering won't work on a national scale. It seems a foregone conclusion that South Carolina's streak of picking Republican presidential nominees will end in 2012.

Judging by his comments after being creamed by Romney in Florida, Gingrich is in it for the long haul. If he does decide to slug it out until the end, President Obama will be the happiest man on earth. Unlike after the heated primary between Obama and Hillary Clinton in 2008, the Republicans will have a tough time unifying if the Gingrich-Romney mud-slinging continues. Their battle has highlighted some fundamental differences between moderate and extremist Republicans — a gap that won't easily be bridged.