Now They Get Feisty
- 01.25.2008 - 8:53 PMThe day after the exquisitely polite debate, an nice old fashioned political food fight has broken out between McCain and Romney. McCain says Romney is a mere manager and not a leader. He also criticizes RomneyCare in a new web ad. Romney reads the oppo talking points to the media gaggle and tries to hang the New York Times endorsement around McCain’s neck and remind voters that McCain is cozy with Democrats. (The final point seems at odds with Romney’s assertion that only he comes to Washington free from animosity that prevents the parties from working to solve problems, but don’t look for consistency fours days before a critical election.) The public polling shows a dead heat, although some in the Romney camp are claiming they have this in the bag.
I tend to think that rather than these now predictable arguments, close elections turn on more mundane matters. Is McCain making progress with evangelicals? Does Mel Martinez’ endorsement monopolize local coverage going into the final weekend? Will Rudy sustain his support, cutting into McCain’s potential pool of voters, or will it slip away as the media picks up on the “what went wrong” theme?
Finally, it’s always a good idea to keep in mind that older voters turn out to vote in disproportionately high numbers. There are a lot of them in Florida and McCain in South Carolina and in some Florida polling has been doing well with his contemporaries. Despite Romney’s effort to woo back the over 65 set with an exemption from social security taxes (If Fred Thompson were around he’d be happy to point out how irresponsible this is given our entitlement crunch), they may be the deciding factor.
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January 25th, 2008 at 10:27 PM
“The public polling shows a dead heat, although some in the Romney camp are claiming they have this in the bag.”
The Mitt Romney people should not be overly confident. Nonetheless, the odds may very well be in their favor:
“Rasmussen Markets data suggests that McCain has a 41.8 % chance of winning in Florida while Romney is given a 55.6 % chance. Immediately following his victory in South Carolina, McCain was given a 70% chance of winning Florida. But, expectations for the Arizona Senator have declined in recent days. According to the markets, Giuliani is a distant third with a 5.4 % chance of victory. Numbers in this paragraph are from a prediction market, not a poll.”
I suspect that the Republican conservative majority has decided on Romney as their standard bearer. He somebody we can live with easier than John McCain.
January 26th, 2008 at 2:29 AM
At the end of the day, the results will show that McCain simply ran in the wrong primary. Except for his position on Iraq, he is otherwise perfectly aligned with the Democratic base.
January 26th, 2008 at 12:49 PM
John McCain frightens me more than either Hillary or Obama. They would at least be predictable. I truly feel Sen. McCain is a tad off balance. I’m am now thinking that his guidance of the Iraq war, as president, would become a disaster. Am so truly worried.
January 26th, 2008 at 12:52 PM
John McCain frightens me more than either Hillary or Obama. They would at least be predictable. I truly feel Sen. McCain is a tad off balance. I’m am now thinking that his guidance of the Iraq war, as president, would become a disaster. Am so truly wor
January 26th, 2008 at 4:35 PM
None of it matters until the primaries are over. “Only one will remain,” no matter how much time we waste scrutinizing the inexorable process of campaigning.
What matters is exposing the Democrat front runners as the unsuitable menaces they are. Both Hillary and Obama would steer this country into dire straits if elected. There’s a reason the enemies of America are fervently praying for one of them to become the next President, and it ain’t love.
January 26th, 2008 at 8:52 PM
Heh, heh … so the Romney camp thinks they have Florida in the bag?
Evidently Governor Charlie Crist doesn’t agree.
January 27th, 2008 at 1:09 AM
It seems to me it is time for Rush to stop focusing on the negatives of McCain and go ahead and endorse Romney. I think that could seal the deal for him in Florida and put an end to the “McCain momentum”. I know there is a focus that there is no perfect conservative in the race, but it is time we choose the one remaining who has a chance to bring the Republicans back to core values. All would be strong on defense and most on immigration. The economy is another thing. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m voting for the guy whose made hundreds of millions on his own in the real world. Romney is the only one who has consistently express concerned about China’s role in the world and demonstrated an understanding on how to deal with them.
God help us all if McCain wins. I agree with Rush- it would the end of the party.