Posted on 01/17/2008 9:55:52 AM PST by Reaganesque
GOP also caucusing on Saturday
You might not know it, but there's also a Republican caucus in Nevada on Saturday.
While the Democratic candidates have been showering attention on the Silver State in order to sway voters in preparation for their Saturday event, Republican hopefuls have been largely absent, preferring to campaign in Michigan and South Carolina.
Thus the GOP caucus here hasn't garnered nearly the attention of the Democratic one.
As it stands now, there is no clear Republican front-runner nationally. Mike Huckabee won Iowa, John McCain took New Hampshire and Mitt Romney picked up Michigan. The race in South Carolina looks to be close. Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani is banking that he'll grab a big win in Florida and gain momentum for Super Tuesday, when 22 states will hold primaries.
The fight for the nomination "is going to be like the Bataan Death March," said Ron Kaufman, a top adviser to Mr. Romney.
Well then, perhaps even little old Nevada could provide a slight boost for the winning GOP candidate.
Republicans haven't had much national electoral success of late, and for that they have only themselves to blame. In the 14 years since the Gingrich revolution, too many Republicans have embraced the beltway culture and abandoned the very principles upon which their success with voters depended -- smaller government, low taxes, free markets and personal liberty.
Nevada Republicans on Saturday should examine their choices through precisely such a filter. Each GOP candidate can make -- and has made -- a reasonable case that he's best suited to ensure the party again embraces the ideas and concepts that made this nation a beacon of freedom and economic opportunity. But in our opinion, the viable candidate most likely to lead Republicans in such a direction is Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.
Mr. Romney's economic agenda includes several pro-growth policies, including a plan to eliminate taxes on capital gains, interest and dividends for any household earning less than $200,000 a year. He backs a line-item veto, favors making the Bush tax cuts permanent and understands that imposing higher taxes as a means of fixing Social Security will only make the problem worse.
He's supportive of free trade, rejects protectionism, backs tort reform, supports school choice and accountability, and while governor was even able to successfully push a handful of spending reforms through Massachusetts' overwhelmingly Democratic legislature. Mr. Romney vows to exercise his veto power if Congress doesn't embrace spending restraint and understands the drag that excessive federal regulation imposes on the innovation and the economy.
Mr. Romney did push a measure to ensure universal health insurance in Massachusetts, but says as president he'd offer incentives for states to experiment with their own solutions, rather than embrace a top-down, national single-payer system. He also understands that a sensible energy policy will require developing more of America's domestic resources.
Mr. Romney has extensive experience in the private sector, which is unusual for far too many politicians. Before becoming governor of Massachusetts, he was the president and CEO of the Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee. He is a former vice president and CEO of Bain & Company Inc., a Boston management consulting firm, and also a founder of Bain Capital, a private equity firm.
In a speech earlier this month to the Economic Club of Detroit, Mr. Romney articulated a concise understanding of what made this country great.
"The 20th century saw two economic systems pitted against each other," he said. "Ours, built on free enterprise and the primacy of the consumer. The Soviets', built on government command and control, and the primacy of the state.
"Ours produced the most powerful economy in the world that has given its citizens a standard of living our grandparents never dreamed possible; theirs produced a downward spiraling standard of living and eventual collapse.
"The 20th century history lesson is that America's economy is strong because we put our trust in the American people, and in the free enterprises they create."
We urge Nevada Republicans on Saturday to support Mitt Romney.
BUSH, GEORGE W
VIA BUSH-CHENEY '04 (PRIMARY) INC
11/17/2003 1000.00 24990256
Okaaaaay....
Shrewd move on Mitts part to campaign in Nevada and let the others fight it out in SC. If he cleans up in Nevada he will still be on top no matter who wins in SC.
“The fight for the nomination “is going to be like the Bataan Death March,” said Ron Kaufman, a top adviser to Mr. Romney.”
Grim analogy ... I’d say it is more like those reality shows, like survivor or American Idol.
We are getting down to Romney, Huckabee and McCain.
Romney is the best of those three by far.
He’s better than the huckster or mcvain, but it will be a “hold my nose” vote for me if he wins. At least I *will* vote for him which is more than I can say for the latter two.
When I see Romney on television, I get the same shiver down my spine as I got with BJ during the initial primaries. I’ll ignore it, but it is foreboding considering that shiver for BJ turned out to be too accurate (I said to my husband at the time that he looks like a person that would back one into a corner and feel one up.)
Is Romney in Nevada? Has he been there since Michigan?
Nevada is on Pacific Time so he can spend some time in SC, do some events, leave mid day and be in Reno or Vegas early enough to do a events there, too. A single visit would wrap up those delegates, and there are more of them than SC has.
I thought Romney had already split SC for NV. I know that Ann Romney has been in NV since Michigan.
I like Romney’s message . . am not sure that I like the messenger though. Brokered convention, anyone?
Too true. Perhaps every month we could have a national call-in to vote a candidate out of the race?
The Republican Assembly endorsement is only valuable if a large number of those people are also at the caucus. If they are not, then the endorsement won’t mean much. I’d love to see Duncan Hunter win some delegates in Nevada, but I’m more focused on Mitt Romney right now.
Are there any polls on Nevada?
My first vote for elimination: Juan McVain
Romney has two scheduled public appearances in NV starting at 5 PM PST in Henderson/Las Vegas. I think he has been in SC up until then. Ann Romney has been campaigning in NV since early Wednesday with only 4 hours of sleep.
From what I read Mitt was to spend a day in SC and then go on to Nevada. Looks to be a good plan from Mitts standpoint.
I’m really disappointed in Freds campaign strategy for South Carolina. He had the bull by the horns after the debates and it looks like he has let it go. You have to go after the front runner in SC which currently is McQueeg. I would love to be proven wrong.
I pray for Ann, I heard her interviewed, said when she does too much she just shuts down. God love her.
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