Posted on 01/20/2008 9:34:59 AM PST by barryg
Mitt Romney had it all — money, looks, organization, endorsements and a seasoned staff.
But he still couldn’t crack South Carolina. There was something about the former Massachusetts governor that turned off Palmetto State voters.
He couldn’t connect with them no matter how hard he tried.
“He came across as a luxury car salesman,” said Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen, a Republican.
Romney spent about $280,000 a week to make his name known across South Carolina.
That was $3 million last year, in South Carolina alone.
He still flopped.
Realizing he couldn’t win here, Romney fled South Carolina last week with no plans to return. He hopped a plane to Nevada to claim his caucus win there Saturday.
The way South Carolinians saw it, Romney was ceding the state to three rivals — U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee.
Romney made a mistake earlier in the month when he pulled all of his money out of South Carolina to go campaigning in Michigan, said Clemson University professor Dave Woodard.
“His timing was just terrible,” said Woodard, a Republican. “It couldn’t have been worse. What Romney was saying was, ‘I really don’t care about South Carolina.’
“He left us at the altar.”
Romney’s campaign never did catch fire here. After a brief period leading in S.C. polls last fall, he lost steam, slumping to third, fourth or fifth in the polls.
Why? Three reasons.
Romney is from Massachusetts, automatically making him suspect in South Carolina. Voters here don’t trust politicians from the home of Teddy Kennedy, Mike Dukakis and John Kerry.
Voters also questioned Romney’s conservative credentials. His flip-flopping on key social issues — abortion and gay rights —caused S.C. voters to wonder about his claims of being a conservative.
Among S.C. voters who told exit pollsters Saturday the main reason they voted for a candidate was because he “says what he believes,” Romney finished last among the five candidates who actively campaigned here.
Romney’s Mormon faith also hurt him among evangelical voters in the Republican primary. Many Southern Baptists, who comprise the largest denomination in the state, see Mormonism as a cult. Romney ran fourth among S.C. voters who identified themselves in exit polls as born-again or evangelical Christians.
However, Thigpen rejects the notion that Romney lost South Carolina because of his faith.
“It wasn’t his faith,” he said. “It was his phonyism.”
Romney’s decision to pack up to Nevada and its caucus were an attempt to build on his lone primary victory, in Michigan. Romney also won Wyoming’s little-watched caucus.
His departure from South Carolina served to lower expectations for him here, even though he started to advertise again in the primary’s days and made a get-out-the-vote effort.
The other high-profile Republican candidates decided to ignore Nevada in favor of South Carolina with its history of creating and demolishing Republican hopefuls.
For Romney, Nevada presented a particular opportunity. His faith was an asset in that state with its large Mormon population.
One in four Nevada caucus-goers was Mormon; 95 percent supported Romney, according to entrance polls there.
Romney aides have attributed their candidate’s Iowa caucus loss to suspicion about his faith among evangelicals, who rallied behind Huckabee, a Baptist preacher.
Thigpen said Romney made a wise decision to travel to Nevada.
“Why kick a dead horse?” he asked, referring to South Carolina. “Why waste your money on something that doesn’t look promising?”
But in essentially declaring that South Carolina didn’t count, Romney missed a chance to prove he can be a winning candidate nationwide.
South Carolina is “a test-tube state,” said Chip Felker, a Greenville-based Republican consultant. “If you win here, you have shown you can win elsewhere.”
Nope. They got nothing on him. Romney is the cleanest and brightest candidate in the race.
Romney joined the NRA for the first time last year. Surely you don’t doubt his sincerity?
And those states will go to democrats who do not pretend to support the 2nd.
Great strategy here by the GOP.
He very well may be, bu reality hasn’t stopped the MSM so far.
Rudy has put all of his RINO eggs into the Florida basket. He is the only candidate currently running TV ads as far as I know.
I don't watch them, just see his RINO mug zoom across the screen while I zip though the DVR.
Florida is a huge state with lots of diverse population from all over the country
Lots of NY'er live in South Florida and central Florida in Tampa and Orlando
Lots of evangelicals Christian live in north Florida
I think the real question will be where will McCain will finish.
Either way a McCain or Rudy win is not good.
Romney will have a tough time pulling third.
My predication:
Rudy wins by a very small margin
McCain is second by under 2 points
Huckabee is third
Romney is fourth
Thompson finish fifth
Ron Paul calls for an investigation of voter fraud because his legions of lunatics finished sixth.
I think Thompson will drop out before the primary which screws up my vote
Same thing is going to happen in Florida. Those Massachusetts Liberals don’t do too well below the Mason Dixon Line.
“Romney’s Mormon faith also hurt him among evangelical voters...”
That was the main thing. He’s more conservative than McCain and Huckabee, so it can’t be his “conservative credentials.”
Same thing is going to happen in Florida. Those Massachusetts Liberals don’t do too well below the Mason Dixon Line.
>Nope. They got nothing on him.
LOL!
From another post; another thread:
If Romney is the nominee, imagine the debate with Hillary.
On abortion:
Hillary: I am pro-choice and in fact my opponent was also at one time.
On taxes:
Hillary: I opposed the Bush tax cuts for the rich, and in fact, my opponent was also against them at one time.
On healthcare for all:
Hillary: I support and will fight for healthcare for all, just like my opponent did in Massachusetts.
In fact, he said the biggest difference between his plan and mine is that his became law!
I welcome his support for my plan.
On gays serving openly in the military:
Hillary: It is time to end ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’
In fact, you Mr. Romney, were all for ending that plan even before me and my husband.
You were ahead of the curve and supported gays being allowed to serve openly way back in 1994.
On a huge stimulus package:
Hillary: I want to spend 100 billion in an effort to bring the economy back from this recession!
My opponent wants to spend 100 billion over 5 years just on the automobile industry, so my plan is, in fact, a lot more fiscally responsible than his!
Guess he should have stumbled over his words more, and looked like a corpse, like "senior moments" liberal/moderate/conservative McCain.
HAH! but they ate up McCain and Huckabee!..Speaks REAL highly of them! /s
Some factors that unfairly hurt Mitt Romney, the 3 Ms:
- Money. I think some people deep down don’t like someone who has been wildly successful in his own financial life like Romney has.
We look up to sport figures etc. but a businessman who made it to the top and made millions? People get jealous.
It’s that same factor btw that gets populists and socialists elected. Envy is not a virtue but a vice.
- Massachusetts. He gets a guilt-by-association tag because he governed there and gets blamed for things the libs imposed there (which are not his fault).
- Mormonism. ‘Nuff said, lets not go there but it is a factor.
If you had a guy from your background and state saying exactly the same campaign message that Mitt is saying, I can assure you, you would be pretty enthused.
And don’t forget the endorsement Romney said he received from the National Rifle Association while running for governor of Massachusetts in 2002, which turned out to be yet another campaign lie.
I’m not one to shoot varmints, but...after you shoot a squirrel, is there anything bigger than a splinter to skin and cook?
Polls disagree with your analysis. Romney, McCain and Rudy are tied for first.
Huckabee is well behind.
Huckabee will fade further and the battle will center between Romney and McCain. McCain will get an SC bounce, but so will Romney as the other candidates fall by the wayside.
Thompson is out. Huck is toast. Rudy had Florida to himself but not for long. Jeb Bush is behind Romney, while the Cuban proamnesty politicians are helping McCain.
Romney IMHO will pull it off, and if not will be #2. Rudy #3 and Huck #4.
“What do people think of a McCain/Huckabee ticket? Is it a winner?”
I doubt it but it would have a better chance that Mutt and Ruby.
What’s McCain’s NRA rating?
In other words ...
“Hillary: I am a liberal and my opponent is not as conservative as he claims to be on some key social issues that liberals would vote for me on ...
Oh, and the one issue I want to beat the Republicans on, health care ... well, Mitt Romney is right about that one too. his Massachusetts plan is a great idea.”
Yup. That would work great ... FOR US.
... ROMNEY WINS will be the headline after election day.
As for:
“opposed the Bush tax cuts for the rich, and in fact, my opponent was also against them at one time.”
No he wasnt, you are getting your talking poitns from Barney Frank .... But dont let the facts get in your way.
Same with the ‘stimulus package’ read the Romney Detroit economic forum speech. He said NO to bailouts.
Romney is more conservative than McCain.
So a proamnesty Arizona RINO beats a Massachusetts fiscal conservative in Florida?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.