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Sanford Resurrected in Carolina
April 3, 2013 | 140 comments
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Bostic and Sanford Battle in Charleston
March 29, 2013 | 16 comments
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South Carolina Showdown
March 26, 2013 | 39 comments
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The Liberal Media Lie About CPAC
March 18, 2013 | 35 comments
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The Hottest Ticket in Town
March 14, 2013 | 28 comments
Campaign Crawlers
No Need to Rush in Florida
Why Republicans shouldn’t panic in the Sunshine State.
Florida is not South Carolina, and neither is it Iowa or New Hampshire, and the pundits rushing to early judgment about the likely result of next Tuesday’s primary in the Sunshine State should take a deep breath and calm down. Such was the advice offered by Florida GOP activist Sarah Rumpf yesterday, and I feel obligated to share her advice with people whose knowledge of Florida politics is less direct and extensive than hers.
“These people in New York and D.C. are looking at it from 30,000 feet up in the air and you can’t do that,” Rumpf said. Currently involved in Republican Adam Hasner’s Senate campaign and not allied with any of the remaining GOP presidential contenders, Rumpf was an early supporter of Marco Rubio’s successful challenge of former Gov. Charlie Crist in the 2010 Senate primary, a crucial battle for the Tea Party movement.
Rumpf called me Monday to warn against underestimating the strength of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign organization in Florida. Romney endorsed Rubio in 2010 and campaigned with him, garnering respect from Tea Party activists and also from the Cuban-American community that is an important GOP constituency in South Florida. Furthermore, Rumpf said, Romney has a large staff of experienced Florida operatives who have been working in the state for months, and have been especially active in pushing Romney’s supporters to submit early absentee votes, a process that began over the weekend. Most of all, Romney has a vast funding advantage which allows him to advertise heavily in Florida’s expensive TV marketplace. Monday, the Romney campaign rolled out a new ad attacking former House Speaker Gingrich: “While Florida families struggled during the housing crisis, Newt Gingrich cashed in while working for Freddie Mac.”
In Monday’s debate televised by NBC, Romney doubled down on Gingrich’s work for Freddie Mac, a federally funded enterprise implicated in the meltdown of the home mortgage industry. “Freddie Mac was paying Gingrich $1.6 million while taking money from the American people,” he said. Romney also hit Gingrich’s support for Medicare prescription drug benefits, an attack that prompted Gingrich to accuse Romney of “walking around this state saying things that aren’t true.” But Romney came back hard, saying that Gingrich’s consulting clients benefitted from his advocacy: “You could call it whatever you like; I call it influence peddling.”
Those trying to figure out who won the frequent clashes between Romney and Gingrich during Monday’s debate were deprived of the evidence provided by audience applause, which NBC moderator Brian Williams prohibited from the start. And pundits face similar problems attempting to prognosticate the result of next week’s primary. Both Gingrich’s supporters and his enemies appear to have over-interpreted his South Carolina victory. Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post seemingly succumbed to abject panic, warning that Gingrich is “perhaps the only GOP candidate who could shift the spotlight from President Obama to himself, alienate virtually all independent voters, lose more than 40 states and put the House majority in jeopardy.” This is a genuine and widely shared concern among Republicans, that Gingrich’s controversial past and “grandiose” tendencies might prevent the election the party wants — a referendum on Obama’s first term.
Yet Rubin’s “open letter” to GOP leaders including Haley Barbour, Jim DeMint, and Mitch Daniels, demanding that they either jump into the presidential race themselves or else “collectively get behind a not-Gingrich candidate,” was a premature warning about an emergency that has not yet arisen and may never arise. Gingrich is a Southern conservative, and Republican voters in South Carolina clearly shared his “mad as hell” attitude, rejecting Romney, whom Gingrich repeatedly called a “Massachusetts moderate.” The polls showing a Sunshine State surge for Gingrich need to be seen in the context of a remarkably volatile Republican electorate, which has repeatedly jumped from one frontrunner’s bandwagon to another over the past several months. In a Rasmussen poll taken Jan. 11 — the day after the New Hampshire primary — Romney led in Florida by 22 points; in Rasmussen’s poll taken Sunday, Gingrich led by nine points, a 31-point swing in less than two weeks. But Florida is not South Carolina, and Gingrich’s ability to sustain his post-Carolina momentum cannot be extrapolated from polls taken more than a week ahead of the Jan. 21 primary.
Rubin’s evident panic over Gingrich’s surge is as unnecessary as the demands from Gingrich’s advocates that former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum quit the race in order to consolidate conservative opposition to Romney. Gingrich’s South Carolina win destroyed the “inevitability” argument that might have permitted Romney to score an early knockout in the 2012 campaign. Whatever the outcome in Florida, the battle for the GOP nomination will continue at least through “Super Tuesday” on March 6, and perhaps well into April. The stakes in Florida are much higher for Romney than for any of his opponents. If Romney loses Florida, the media will begin comparing him to Ed Muskie, the 1972 favorite of the Democrat Party establishment whose campaign unexpectedly fell apart, handing the nomination to anti-Vietnam War candidate George McGovern. But even if Romney’s organizational advantages help him recover to gain a narrow win next Tuesday in the Sunshine State, he will still be seen as very vulnerable heading into the Feb. 4 Nevada caucuses, where Texas Rep. Ron Paul’s fanatical supporters are hoping for an upset victory.
Some Republicans expect Gingrich’s surge to carry the former House Speaker to victory in Florida, but playing the expectations game has been a high-risk endeavor in this year’s campaign. Last week, a member of Romney’s staff told me that they had initially expected former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty to be one of their most formidable foes, but Pawlenty was the first candidate to quit the race. Many conservatives expected Texas Gov. Rick Perry to be Romney’s strongest rival, yet Perry’s status as frontrunner lasted barely a month and he dropped out before the primary in South Carolina, which had originally been his must-win “firewall” state. Almost no one expected Santorum to be among the Final Four contenders for the nomination, yet he won the Iowa caucuses and remains resolved to keep fighting despite the formidable odds against him.
A desire to hurry up the Republican nominating process was one of the motives that inspired Florida GOP leaders to leapfrog their primary from March to January (see “Why Does Florida Hate America?” Sept. 30), thus scrambling the entire campaign calendar. But one rather famous Floridian said Monday he is content to let the process play out: “We’re nowhere near being over here. I don’t subscribe to conventional wisdom, and neither should you.”
Who said that? Palm Beach resident Rush Limbaugh. And, as usual, Rush is right.
About the Author
Robert Stacy McCain is co-author (with Lynn Vincent) of Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Democratic Party (Nelson Current). He blogs at The Other McCain.
Clint| 1.24.12 @ 7:29AM
The Pillsbury DoughBoy Serves As A Useful Dupe To Extend The Presidential Campaigns, Deny The Ruling Elites' RINO-CINO Frontman, Mittens Romney Enough Delegates And Head To A Brokered Convention.
The DoughBoy Is Cookin' !
Colin | 1.24.12 @ 8:56AM
Lessons from the Sensi:
Remember, grasshoppers, the path to fulfillment can be arduous, and occasionally littered with distractions disguised as ... "the greater truth." And yet what clues may unviel that "the greater truth" may not be all that it portends?
Usually the red nose, seltzer bottle, and a Ron Paul for President tee-shirt.
Be aware, grasshoppers. Be aware!
Crassus| 1.24.12 @ 10:21AM
Now hold on a minute before we go much further. Give Clint a dime so he can call his mother.
Clint| 1.24.12 @ 10:02PM
Give Crassus Bibi's Bone, So He Can Munch On It Again.
The tea Party Heads To A Brokered Convention.
Nancy in NC| 1.24.12 @ 7:48AM
Romney should have some patience. Newt will surely fall on his sword eventually, or at least that's his track record.
I hope the GOP will remember the objective and mission: get rid of Obama. The Mayans may be right: 2012 may not be the end of the world, but the end of the world as we know it.
Our economy can't stand another four more years of Obama and the loose purse strings. Contrary to his recent campaign ads, the American people are not buying the crap he's selling.
The GOP needs to mention the Keystone Pipeline, loud and often. That alone reveals where Obama really stands on America, and only an idiot would fail to recognize that fact.
somnolence| 1.24.12 @ 7:53AM
Romney actually is one giant step ahead of all those who want Daniels or Bush to be in the wings. Does anyone think he or his staff aren't prepared for the daggers? Bill Kristol and some at NRO are the ones I want to fall on their swords.
Dan Stojadinovic | 1.24.12 @ 8:19AM
This time around the pro-liberty candidates will not win, but I'll make a prediction that Florida after the economy and the dollar sinks even more will go pro-liberty and elect candidates like Ron Paul not like Charlie Christ. Mark my words!
Dan Stojadinovic
Pro-liberty candidate
http://Back2Liberty.org
POST American| 1.24.12 @ 8:24AM
--------'90's Show' 'Calm--place--n--see' OP---------
-----------------------ALERT!-----------------------------
Meanwhile, one and all can reclaim and
reinvigorate this, the 11th hour campaign
of the Globalist-RED China sellout
2012 election, by calling things by their
proper name:
------------------------TREASON-------------------------
-------------------------USURY---------------------------
-----------------------PLUNDER--------------------------
------------------------EUGENICS------------------------
SO displace the fuzzy Tavistock you-femisms
of 'Globalism', 'SSSS-US--stainability'
---'CON-solidation' ----and 'S/M-art Few-T-your'
and 'BYE---O Ethics'.
We're dealing with HELL on earth unfolding.
YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE.
---------------HUAC/ Nuremberg 2012----------------
American| 1.24.12 @ 12:45PM
My dear, you forgot to take your morning Chlorpromazine, it is in the top drawer, as usual. Sorry, we ran out of Haloperidol.
Dick Nome| 1.24.12 @ 1:34PM
I thought he was huffing Chloroform.
Intelligent Design| 1.24.12 @ 8:58AM
South Carolina Republicans naturally feel more comfortable with Gingrich from Georgia than they do Romney from Massachusetts. SC is not FL, the latter being more representative of the U.S. as a whole. Romney is likely to appeal to more FL Republicans than Gingrich, and Romney will appeal to far more voters nationwide than Obama. Assuming Romney is the nominee, he will beat Obama with 60% of the total.
Obama is history, mainly based on the poor economy, not social issues. The average unemployment rate from 1948 to 2010 was 5.7%. In December 2008, a month before Obama took office, the rate was 7.2%. It has been as high as 10.1% and is currently 8.5%. Counting the under-employed and those who have quit looking for work, the unemployment rate is about 15%. Millions of people remain unemployed for 6 months or more. Millions have lost their homes or are likely to in the coming months.
Obama and the Demo-Socialists in general cannot win this election with clever propaganda on TV. People know that Obama is a failure, they can hardly wait for a real change, and they will select "The Other Guy".
TrueBlue | 1.24.12 @ 7:18PM
If we're going off of the poor economy, who exactly was responsible for the federal government curtailing spending and increased revenue? Oh right, that was Newt, while Romney was saying his "Contract with America" was a bad idea. The fact you have so many Libs and MSM twits hailing Romney as the best candidate should be all anyone needs to know about which candidate NOT to choose.
tadcf| 1.24.12 @ 9:31AM
McCain tries to impress the Republican high priest by saying, "Rush Limbaugh is usually right." I personally find that the Oracle of Palm Beach---like most religious idols---is usually wrong.
Dick Nome| 1.24.12 @ 11:21AM
Try listening to him sometime. It is obvious you never have.
martin j smith| 1.24.12 @ 9:51AM
Romney has yet to sell his candidacy to me. I am waiting but I suspect Stacy McCain that he wont. The reason is that he is behaving a lot like John McCain a loser. I do not support a loser.
Al Adab| 1.24.12 @ 10:36AM
The election this November will be decided by the electoral votes of VA, NC, FL and Ohio. The GOP candidate/nominee must be someone who can win in those states. Mitt needs to realize that his 30% plurality actually means that 2/3 rds of GOP voters want someone else. Time to get out and let the GOP coalesce around the person who can win those four States this fall. Put country over ego and make sure the strongest nominee emerges. Why still fight amongst ourselves when the enemy is so clearly known?
richard mcenroe | 1.24.12 @ 11:18AM
What impressed me was NBC managed to keep the Paulies quiet. How and can we bottle it?
Bulbul| 1.24.12 @ 11:26AM
In 2008, Obama defrauded and won in FL. Back then there was no Tea Party to repudiate liberal efforts to sabotage the outcome of the election. In 2012, it's a different scenerio. The Tea Party took control of FL and the entire South. The Dems were dismantled and perished in the mid-term election. With the help of Tea Party, we can unify the conservative base of FL voters, help Newt win the GOP nod, and defeat Obama in a ladslide.
FL picks the President of the United States of America. FL is the land of liberty and opportunity.
If Newt gets the GOP nod, Obama is doomed.
David| 1.24.12 @ 12:00PM
Santorum represents the greatest contrast with Bam Bam.
Gingrich, Romney, Perry, and Bam Bam supported the Wall Street bailout, and believe in man-caused global warming.
Santorum did not and does not.
Why do you folks think Gingrich and Romney are not attacking him. Not on his record and not on any personal failings. It's because there is really not a lot of bad to say about Santorum.
Now look at Romney and Gingrich. Global warming, Wall Street bailout, lobbyist, flip-floppers, telling half-truths and outright lies about each other, etc.
Santorum is the adult in the race.
Vern Crisler| 1.24.12 @ 12:25PM
He also has zero leadership or governing experience.
TrueBlue | 1.24.12 @ 7:21PM
So you put the guy that has no dirt, and a VERY consistent record, to use against Obama on the ticket and take the other guys as advisors or give them Cabinet posts.
loulou| 1.24.12 @ 12:10PM
Are people aware that Romney's PAC has been doleing out money to prospective supporters like Gov Nikki Haley, Rubio, etc.
I'm not voting for Romney under any circumstances.
Jabber3| 1.24.12 @ 12:47PM
The mob mentality has overtaken the Republican Party and so these are dangerous times for the party. The candidates want to pick the low hanging fruit, Obama, but the conservative electorate has an approach/avoidance conflict and is jumping from candidate to candidate because none of the candidates have convincingly closed on the electability factor. This may or may not happen before the convention which will only lead to more chaos.
Bulbul| 1.24.12 @ 2:26PM
Romney can go as negative as he can, but yet he cannot win in FL. A New England moderate has no place in deep south, FL. Romney's records:
-RomneyCare
-pro abortion
-pro gay marriage
-pro gun control
-pro climate change
Romney is a "dead man walking." It's Gingrich in FL, all the way to the end.
Bulbul| 1.24.12 @ 2:26PM
Romney can go as negative as he can, but yet he cannot win in FL. A New England moderate has no place in deep south, FL. Romney's records:
-RomneyCare
-pro abortion
-pro gay marriage
-pro gun control
-pro climate change
Romney is a "dead man walking." It's Gingrich in FL, all the way to the end.
martin j smith| 1.24.12 @ 3:20PM
I support Gingrich over Romney a lot of the stuff I see are either Romney supporters, Paul supporters of Socialists pretending to be who they are not. I am not a strong Gingrich supporter but I am very anti-Romney. There is a lot of sour grapes such as in the WSJ crowd or those like Jennifer Rubin in WaPo. Too bad these types want to sell us out.
David| 1.24.12 @ 3:40PM
Vern, educate yourself. Try reading his resume before saying what he hasn't done.
The fact is he led on a great number of issues such as welfare reform, and then TRIED to lead on many others that were unpopular.
Get your facts straight.
Uncle Samuel| 1.24.12 @ 3:58PM
Fake conservative Romney tries to assure a leftist he will continue Obama and Hillary's health initiatives - and ends up approving the way Hezbollah uses health clinics as a front for their propaganda efforts - www (dot) youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VaiypCXmFDw
Likewise the Obama Administration US foreign aid and diplomacy policies as well as UN health programs are all infected with the abortion and LBGT agenda propaganda and goals.
The US funds AIDS treatment with one hand, while promoting sexual orientations and activities that cause a 44 times greater increase the incidence of AIDS and the highest risk of all other STDs according to the latest CDC report. This is an example of liberal disconnect with reality. It is the height of insanity and dishonesty. Sentiment, not science; politics, not prudence, determines Obama/liberal foreign and domestic policy.
Another case in point - the US funds abortion in the US and foreign countries even though it has been correlated with breast cancer, mental health problems in numerous studies.
Romney as a governor did not resist these agenda groups, but at every turn has given into and accommodated them.
His record is liberal, but he is being run as a conservative, backed by the Republican establishment. He just can't articulate conservatism, because he is not a native speaker. He cannot hold to conservative principles, because he never has believed or held them against the tide of political pressure or culture.
Conservatives go on evidence and record and they just aren't buying his act.
nitengail8| 1.26.12 @ 4:15PM
I agree with you. Romeney has said he will not eliminate Obamacare. This will mean a half trillion dollars from Medicare spent elsewhere. It also means that the Independent Payment Advisory Board will continue to cut care for seniors. The Best Practices Board appointed by Obama (mostly cost cutting Docs) who gave us "no mammograms needed until age 50" this advice was against recommendations of the Cancer Society. This group will cut care sharply for everyone, not just Seniors. Since Perry dropped out, I voted for Newt. Early voting in Florida started last Saturday. If Santorum drops out, he will support Romney in hopes of a position in his administration. If you want Obama lite, then people should vote Romney. Me, I could not stomach the idea.
David| 1.24.12 @ 4:23PM
Forget about Newt asking his wife for an open marriage and the 3 wives stuff. I like what the 2nd wife reported he said when she admonished him about things he does.
Newt said: "People don't care about what I do. They only care about what I say. And I can say things better than anyone else can say them".
Whoa. THAT SOUNDS EERILY LIKE OUR CURRENT PLANET HEALER AND RECEDER OF OCEANS.
And because I absolutely believe his wife on that, I think Newt is an arrogant opportunist with an ego at least as big as Bam Bam's.
We better get behind Santorum while we still have the chance.
Tina B| 1.24.12 @ 8:25PM
David I am with you, but I see the Santorum fans are mighty silent. I will support him because he is as clean as they come, theses days. He is in politics, after all.
God bless you, Rick, and your family as you make your way in Florida, home of the hanging chads. Yes, some of us are still embarrassed about that whole election. Thank God at least algore didn't get i, but it sure wasn't pretty.
POST American| 1.24.12 @ 10:30PM
---------------------FINAL WORD-----------------------
---------------YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE-----------------
YOU DO_______________________!
Mike Rogers | 1.27.12 @ 7:50AM
Ugly is as ugly writes!
Mike Rogers | 1.27.12 @ 7:51AM
I am afraid that Romney's Florida strategy may pay off where Rudy's did not :(
That's depressing to contemplate.