Romney couldn't connect with S.C. voters

The State , Charleston, S.C. ^

[USNBandit]

I really wanted to like Romney. I respect his success in business and really respect his fixing of the Salt Lake Olympics. That takes decision making and leadership skills. The candidates that are senators have never had to do that. A senator sits on the sidelines taking credit if something turns out good and blaming somebody else when it goes wrong. How many times have your heard McCain say "Boy I screwed that up," when he talks about CFR.

The problem is his conflicting statements on key issues like gay marriage, gun rights, and abortion when campaigning. His supporters like to point out that he has been a bit more consistent in action than in words, but I don't buy that. If a man tells you one thing and does another, what does that say about him?

One of the things people seem to forget about Clinton is that one of the first major things he did in office was raise taxes after saying he wouldn't. That gets forgotten because of all the other sleaze and corruption.

[barryg]

Minus a sarcasm tag...how do you explain the results?

Three lackluster conservatives split the conservative vote, leaving moderate and independents to vote for McCain.

[maui_hawaii]

I believe we won't know jack until super tuesday.

If McCain wins Florida (I think its winner take all) it will give him 95 delegates to Mitt's 72. Difference would be 23 delegates.

Utah alone has 36 and its winner take all. Who do you think will win there?

What a Florida win will do is actually give perception.... thats about it. Perception....

If Mitt wins he will definitely be out front. In either case either one can claim back to back victories.

The media is playing up McCain though. Thats Mitt's problem. He can win the whole thing and no one will give him credit for it.

[maui_hawaii]

As a matter of fact, I believe California will have a massive impact. More than anyone is expecting.

[Mojave]

Repeating a falsehood doesn’t make it true.

Romney stated that he "signed an assault weapon ban in Massachusetts governor", WOSG. Having trouble keeping his lies straight? Or yours?

[Rational Thought]

I’m with you there. I wanted to like Romney too. While his track record and what he’s said publicly is all over the map, I view him as a candidate with no core values, a focus group candidate, hence, one I cannot support.

[longtermmemmory]

(sarcasm on) Well I had a nice robo call from a Huckster who explained that Romney wants to cut taxes by selling babies to eeeeeevil capitalists and throw christians to the lions. In fact Romney was a personal friend of Julius Ceasar...(sarcasm off)

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“They’re better at faking sincerity than Mitt.”

I disagree for McCain and Thompson. When they talk,
they believe what they say (even though most of us
don’t agree with what McCain believes).

Huck seems to be way better at connecting and faking.

Mitt is not good at connecting or faking.

South Carolinians know that... and rejected Mitt Isuzu.

[ari-freedom]

it’s still our base. if we don’t even have that then what are we trying to do by throwing everything after Michigan?

[ari-freedom]

huck’s problem is that he doesn’t want to give anything to caesar

[McGruff]

What do people think of a McCain/Huckabee ticket?

It would be a good time to leave the republican party.

[Dragonspirit]

Assuming Romney wins Michigan (+17) but loses all three states you list (Ohio (-20), New Mexico(-5) and Iowa (-7)) and the rest of the map breaks out the same as 2004 that would result in 271 ECVs (286 +17 - 20 -5 -7) for Romney, which is still a win.

[longtermmemmory]

I think FL is only relevant at the end for the delegate count.

There is no run to sustain anyone to Feb 5th.

The only one with money for cross state border ad buys is Romney.

[ari-freedom]

Fred wasn’t faking but also wasn’t connecting

[ari-freedom]

after winning SC, mccain has no reason to go for huck. I predict he’ll ask Gov Palin or Condi Rice

[USNBandit]

I think he has core values.....but telling voters what they are on the campaign trail isn’t one of them.

[elfman2]

I’m not sure who you’re giving crime and the economy to with, “Romney was just as liberal as rudy except without the record in crime and the economy.”

I distrust these candidates (and most others) equally. Rudy’s no exception: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2006-27,GGLG:en&q=rudy+flip+flop

Rudy’s okay with me too, but I don’t know what I’ll do if McCain gets nominated. He looks like a corps compared to Obama. I can’t see him getting elected, and not sure if he’d be better considering that Obama’s policies or Hillary’s methods would just bring out the fight in conservatives.

[WOSG]

Mojave, Facts are stubborn things. Repeating your false assertion doesn’t make it true.

These are the facts about the bill that you claim equates to Romney signing an assault weapon ban, direct from NRA-ILA website. It clearly shows that the bill does NOT do what you claim it does:

http://www.nraila.org//Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=1149

S.2367 does the following:

* Instructs the Executive Director of the Criminal History Systems Board to make the Firearms Identification Card and the License To Carry a Firearm the same size as a driver`s license;

* Changes the term of a Firearms Identification Card and a License to Carry to six years;

* Creates a grace period of 90 days, if the Firearms Identification Card or License to Carry holder applies for renewal before the expiration date, and if the application for renewal is not denied;

* Creates a Firearms Licensing Review Board. Applicants disqualified by a misdemeanor record, from obtaining a License To Carry or Firearms Identification Card, may file a petition for review of eligibility with the board, five years after conviction, adjudication, commitment, probation or parole;

* and in the case where an officer is confiscating the guns of a person with an expired license, requires the officer to provide a written inventory and receipt for all guns.

Despite the efforts of some (including The Boston Globe) to spin this bill as an extension of or creation of a new “Assault Weapons” ban, the bill makes no net changes to the Commonwealth`s laws regarding those types of firearms. The three sections referencing them merely dealt with re-affirming the definitions of what an “Assault Weapon” could be.

Here are just some of the points that the media (including The Boston Globe) got wrong.

Myth: Some headlines claimed that the legislature voted to expand the ban on the sale of the same 19 guns that the federal government has banned.

Fact: The guns are already banned in Massachusetts . The legislature only voted to clarify the definition of so-called “assault weapons,” but made no changes to the number of guns included.

Myth: The gun ban was extended.

Fact: Our state`s gun ban was not due to disappear, nor will it become invalid if the federal ban sunsets in September.

Myth: The legislature somehow “won over” gun-rights supporters by including reforms.

Fact: NRA and Gun owners` Action League (GOAL) had made it very clear to the legislature that we would not give up any ground. NRA and GOAL supported this bill because it did not ban any guns, and because it made much-needed reforms.

Myth: Those legislators that wanted to expand the semi-auto gun ban claimed that they “spearheaded” S.2367.

Fact: Credit should be given to Senator Stephen Brewer (D- Barre) and Senator Richard T. Moore (D - Uxbridge) for the reform language.

Myth: The Massachusetts House approved a new version of the ban that would decouple the state definitions from the federal ones.

Fact: The bill merely takes the existing state references to federal law, and fixes the language to a point in time in 1994. Because that is the federal language is currently in effect, the net effect on Massachusetts gun owners is zero. No new gun bans are banned. Keep in mind that the state language in effect before this bill was NEVER set to expire.

With that in mind, NRA members should be very pleased in knowing that their efforts to educate and work with their local representatives and senators resulted in a successful reform action.

Thanks to you and the Gun Owners` Action League, lawful gun owners can now take advantage of this first set of real reforms in over five years.

For more information concerning this legislation you can contact ILA Grassroots at 1-800-392-8683 or the Gun Owners` Action League at 508-393-5333.

[WOSG]

“I’ve had my fill of the liberals from below the Mason-Dixon Line these past 16 years too. The lying snake oil salesman from Arkansas is doing a pretty good job of splitting the party.”

Here, here! I’d take Romney over our own Texan aggie Gov Perry, for example. Isn’t Clinton himself enough proof that a southern accent doesn’t make you a conservative?

[WOSG]

Wow.

We could win without Ohio.... hmmmm.

Methinks we might need that plan because frankly, Ohio was awful in 2006 and might not be on our side in 2008 either.