Romney to Tea Party movement: No third party bids!

CNN ^ | 03/9/2010 | By: CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby

[Jim Robinson]

Washington (CNN) - Mitt Romney has a message to Tea Party candidates nationwide: If you lose your Republican primary bids, stay on the sidelines.

The former Massachusetts governor on Monday warned the grassroots movement not to mount third party efforts in general elections, which he said would siphon votes from Republican nominees.

"If there is a conservative candidate that runs in the general election, then obviously, divide and fail is the result," Romney said in an interview with the conservative Web site Newsmax. "Hopefully Tea Party candidates will run in respective primaries and they will either win or lose. And if they win, they will go into the general. If they lose, they won't, and they will get behind the more conservative of the two finalists."

Romney explained that "dividing our conservative effort in the general elections" would "basically hand the country to Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, and that would be very sad indeed."

[prisoner6]

Ohh...I likey! IF the house AND the senate are sure to go GOP...even wishy-washy GOP...a neutered BHO might be able to be...umm...controlled.

Guess I've had too much beer today!

[rintense]

That sounds like a threat to conservatives to me. Romney can piss off!

[AD from SpringBay]

Translation: It’s my turn.

[Jim Robinson]

I’ll never vote RINO and I’ll never smoke weed with Willie again.

[TexasCajun]

Mitt Romney vs Conservatives & Democrats!

Mitt Romney --> RINO Pack-Leader

[LibLieSlayer]

Damn straight!

LLS

[Retired Chemist]

He’s right!

[exit82]

Romney is like Napolean—he has reached out, took the crown and out it on his own head.

F him.

[Vendome]

BYE!

IBTZ

[Jim Robinson]

Wrong! He’s a freaking LEFTIST!

[CharacterCounts]

What an interesting way to start a campaign - attacking and offending the very people you will need to win the general election.

This liberal lives in la-la land.

[LibLieSlayer]

Well said!

LLS

[ex-snook]

"If Milt is the candidate, voting for a third-party conservative ticket would be better than voting for him. "

Sounds good. The Third Party has to start sometime. Goldwater set the stage for Reagan.

[PapaBear3625]

If the conservative cannot win the primary, he's even less likely to win the general election.

A Tea Party third-party run would generally mean that the Dem would win. As such, it should be reserved for those cases where the Repub nominee is such a RINO that you would prefer the Dem to win, rather than contaminate the Republican caucus with another RINO.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

I will respect that if the GOP establishment will abide by the agreement as well.

Scozzafava endorsed the Democrat when she lost.

Murkowski ran as an Independent when she lost the Primary.

The Delaware GOP bailed on O’Donnell when she won the Primary.

The RSCC dragged their feet supporting Angle in Nevada when she won the Primary.

Now who is the less than trustworthy ones?

[LibLieSlayer]

LIBERAL REPUBLICANS ARE ABOUT TO FIND OUT JUST HOW GENERAL CUSTER FELT AT LITTLE BIGHORN.

LLS

[30Moves]

Even if we voted a third party and lost to Obama - we would retain the House and probably retake the Senate - so could Obama do much harm with a Republican controlled Congress? Just askin...

[Servant of the Cross]

Actually, he's Lurch, with better hair dye!

[Jim Robinson]

FReep U Romney and the RINO you rode in on! As God is my witness, before this is over I will ZOT every last abortionist/socialist RINO Romney supporter from this pro-life, pro-family, pro-liberty CONSERVATIVE forum!!

Rebellion is brewing!!

DONT TREAD ON ME!!

[ansel12]

Many will, that is a natural thing, but Romney is different than most rinos, many of us will not, and many of us cannot vote for Mitt Romney.

The Romney candidacy goes far beyond being unpalatable, or a bad match, or too moderate, to be our preferred candidate, Romney is a candidate that we must choose to fight even into the general election.