I agree that Romney has an opening in Florida. However, I'm not sure the current economic problems don't equally benefit Rudy. Club for Growth send out an email blast calling for permanent economic measures such as indexing capital gains in lieu of short term stimulus plans. They end with this : "The Club for Growth commends Mayor Giuliani for including this proposal in his tax-cutting plan and encourages all candidates to make it part of their economic stimulus plans." Expect to hear a lot more comparisons between Rudy's record and what both McCain and Rudy will contend is Romney's less than impressive record in bringing Massachusetts back from the 2001 recession. UPDATE: McCain is quick to remind voters of his tax cutting plan.
UPDATE 2: Indeed the Romney's rivals have been happy to talk about Romney's record -- as Governor. One rival camp chimes in: “What the heck does Mitt Romney know about turning around a lagging economy? Under his watch the tax burden in Massachusetts went up, the business climate declined, and the state failed to recover all the jobs that were lost. Simply put, his record is one of government taking a lot more ‘bling-bling’ from folks’ wallets.” Well. They cite the fact that Massachusetts remained a very high tax state(indeed moved from 9th to 7th), that he was unable to reduce the state income or corporate taxes and lost jobs and businesses during his tenure. McCain has been doing this since New Hampshire. Rudy when New Hampshire was still a possibility went toe to toe with Romney on a daily basis on their relative tax and spending records. Romney's campaign has actually acknowledged many of the facts his foes now cite but blame Massachusetts' difficulties on the very liberal legislature.( Unless we have a massive GOP victory in 2008 the GOP frankly will have to deal with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid so I'm not sure how well that excuse will work.) One tip: Romney should perhaps avoid joking about how the stock market might affect his fortune.
topics:
Taxes, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Business
