Jacksonville, Fla. — Later today, the four remaining Republican presidential contenders will square off here, at the University of North Florida, for the final debate before Tuesday’s primary. With 50 delegates on the line, it will surely be a testy, no-holds-barred evening.
Beyond the usual policy exchanges, keep an eye on these five factors. All of them have been points of contention on the trail, and if fumbled, they could tip the scales in an increasingly close contest.
MARCO RUBIO Senator Rubio, a freshman and tea-party favorite, is this week’s political beach ball, and his name has been repeatedly invoked by the two front-runners, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.
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Rubio, attempting to stay above the fray, has not endorsed a candidate, but at key moments he has thrown cold water on certain assertions, such as the claim in Gingrich’s latest radio ad that Romney is “anti-immigrant.” Speaking with the Miami Herald, Rubio scolded Gingrich for airing “inflammatory” spots in Spanish-language markets, calling it “more than just unfortunate.”
Still, as Gingrich’s advisers see it, the Rubio factor, in spite of the senator’s criticisms, could end up being their greatest asset in the final sprint. Rubio’s decision to sit on the sidelines, one Gingrich source tells me, is a silent coup for the former speaker and a blow to Romney, enabling the Georgian to cast himself as an anti-establishment, tea-party leader.
On Tuesday, for example, at a diner stop, Gingrich touted his state director, Jose Mallea, a former Rubio strategist, and called Romney the “Charlie Crist” of this year’s primary, an allusion to the moderate former GOP governor whom Rubio beat in Florida’s 2010 Senate race.
Gingrich also criticized Romney for hiring many of the consultants who worked on Crist’s campaign, a clear play for disgruntled conservatives who remain upset with Crist for departing the GOP during the course of the primary and then challenging Rubio as an independent.
Rubio, however, quickly rebuffed Gingrich’s “Romney as Crist” tack. “Mitt Romney is no Charlie Crist. Romney is a conservative,” Rubio said in a statement. “[Romney] was one of the first national Republican leaders to endorse me,” and “he made a real difference in my race.”
According to campaign sources, look for Romney to cite Rubio’s pushbacks, and for Gingrich to hammer Romney’s record as an example of watered-down, Crist-like conservatism. Both candidates, of course, are wary of irking the unaligned Rubio, so the barbs may be limited, but Gingrich aides, especially, sense this line of attack as a potent one, and hope to exploit it.
Costa, you do understand, it's a primary... not a general election. There aren't just two candidates, right? Yet you couldn't spare a single word for anyone other than Newt and Mitt. What is it? Have you decided Santorum and Paul are already eliminated? Does the process end in Florida?
I don't ever want to hear you lamenting over the limited candidacies for conservatives to choose from.
First, on national broadcasts, it aggravates me to see candidates ignored. I was particularly annoyed by Williams ignoring Santorum and Paul Monday night.
Second, in defense of Costa, Florida is winner take all and I don't think anything will happen to keep this from being a contest between Gingrich and Romney.
Yes, Florida is winner take all. But after that primary is held, still less than 10% of the GOP convention delegates will have been chosen. Very possibly, after next week is over, a whole lot of Republicans in other states may yet again change their minds about who they should be supporting. It's rather hard for them to do that properly when guys like Costa can't be bothered to even mention the two guys presently running third and fourth in the race.
The media is pushing RINOs Mitt and Newt. Newt is the worst choice. Turn off the TV and ignore the lies of the pollsters. Vote for the best candidates which are Ron Paul or Rick Santorum.
Missing in this analysis is any real possibility that Romney will make a vigorous defense of free enterprise, prosperity and private achievement. A candidate who is ashamed of his own success will always be on the defensive. Lacking a positive narrative, he can't make a case to become president. Thus, the only interesting question is how well Newt can address his own significant deficiencies.
At this point, I'm thinking we are more likely to get a moon base than an income tax rate that is competitive with other nations. And there is no reason to hope the national debt will be reduced.
“I just find that sad as a way to run for president. . . . Watching some desperate guy throw wild punches doesn’t get him very close to the presidency. People want stability, they want honesty, they want accuracy.”
I can't believe Gingrich, of all people, said this. What odious hypocrisy. Conservatives, please: if you don't like Romney, fine. Support Santorum, a consistent conservative and a man of honor. But don't rally behind a candidate with such obvious flaws. Please.
I always like the expression, he/she is "a tea-party" favorite. If anyone did not know this was an American political movement (poorly named at that), then they might think a "tea-party favorite" is someone who is invited to tea parties and is a good conversationalist. But our tea party movement reminds me more of "Alice in Wonderland".
Sadly, it may not matter. The most recent Real Clear poll shows that a vast majority of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. Who do they blame? Obama, right? Not so fast. Is job approval rating is still 46 percent (48 percent unfavorable). Doesn't sound good, does it? But it doesn't sound bad compared to Congress' numbers. This august body gets a whopping 13 percent approval (82 percent disapproval) rating. Several things to point out: the poll doesn't differentiate between the two chambers (but perhaps neither do naive voters); and although voters tend to disapprove of Congress overall, they do still tend to reelect their own incumbent representatives. Still, this doesn't bode well over all. It at least suggests that Obama could retain the White House while we (Republicans) lose the majority in the House, which would be absolutely disastrous for the country.
Many people are unaware of the fact that when Romney was asked by his old employer, Bill Bain, to come back to Bain & Company as CEO to rescue the firm from bankruptcy, Romney left Bain Capital to work at Bain & Company for an annual salary of one dollar. When Romney went to the rescue of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, he accepted no salary for three years, and wouldn’t use an expense account. He also accepted no salary as Governor of Massachusetts.
Mitt Romney GUILTY DEFRAUDING MEDICARE TENS OF MILLIONS
1996 by Corporate Crime Reporter: “As manager and board member of Damon Corp, Mitt Romney sits at the center of one of the top 15 corporate crimes of the 1990’s.”
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