Posted on 10/21/2011 10:02:21 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
In a new web site, in a controversial ad that was launched and then quickly pulled from sight, and in Tuesday’s now infamous debate touching episode, Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney is handling rival Rick Perry as if the Texas governor’s poll numbers were not at a paltry single-digit. With mounting evidence, he is, in short, treating Perry like Perry has Herman Cain’s numbers.
[snip]
If Romney can fatally weaken Perry now, it would allow him to dominate in the early primaries. Strategically, a strong showing in the Iowa caucuses would be followed by an anticipated victory in the New Hampshire primary, resulting in strong momentum as the voting shifts to South Carolina and Florida.
“You’ve got the guy down a bit, you don’t want to let him up off the mat,” said Chris Lehane, a Democratic consultant. “A mistake for a lot of campaigns is the front-runner doesn’t engage, and when they do, it’s too late. Particularly when Perry has the resources to go up in the air with negative ads, I think it’s smart for the Romney campaign. I think the Romney people are making the educated bet, probably the right bet, that there’s no one else in the field that can rise up and can be a sustainable long-term challenger.”
A source close to the Romney camp said, “One of these two guys is going to be president. You learned a long time ago in this business that when you’re getting attacked, you better answer.”
That Romney could be vulnerable to Perry’s millions, or the millions raised by his super PAC, lends a peremptory, inoculative quality to his elevated pressure on Perry. “If you’re Romney and you’re looking around the field you’ve got there … the only one who’s proved he can raise any money is Perry,” said Andrew Smith, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire. “He has to make sure that Perry isn’t able to consolidate his position as a front-runner in polls, because he’s certainly a front-runner in fundraising.”
The stepped-up offensive comes at a curious time, with Perry at his lowest point in the polls since he entered the race in mid-August. Romney is trading the above-the-fray persona he has cultivated at the risk of elevating Perry, putting him on the same plane as the front-runner. A NBC News/Marist poll of likely South Carolina primary voters published last week had Perry at 9 percent, just three points higher than former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is not a serious contender for the nomination.
The flare-up during Tuesday’s debate in Las Vegas stemmed largely from Perry confronting Romney over his hiring of a lawn care company that employed illegal immigrants, prompting Romney to recycle his criticism of a Texas law that Perry signed granting tuition discounts for the children of illegal immigrants. But Romney went beyond policy, taunting Perry by pointing out he had already had “a tough couple debates,” and reaching out to touch his shoulder — a personal space invasion that’s a no-no during debates.
Romney also irritably appraised Perry’s debating style as discourteous: “You have a problem with allowing someone to finish speaking. And I suggest that if you want to become president of the United States, you have got to let both people speak.”
[snip]
Perry Communications Director Ray Sullivan called Romney’s aggression “not a new phenomenon,” but said “this week’s high-profile activities” were proof of Romney’s nervousness about Perry.
“The Romney camp and Governor Romney himself know that Rick Perry is the most likely candidate to be the conservative standard-bearer, given his record,” Sullivan said. “They’re threatened by Governor Perry’s strong record as well as fiscal and social conservatism, and they realize that we have the campaign organization and financial resources to win. Despite all of the efforts to belittle and dismiss, the Romney people know that Rick Perry is a very serious and credible threat to their now six-year-long presidential campaign.”
[snip]
“I suspect that Perry is the only alternative to Romney who could be elected.
Unless Gingrich or Bachmann can mount a serious surge in the next couple of months, those two are the field.”
Agreed. I would add that Romney is Obama’s best hope for re-election.
It looks to me that you’re the one living in a “reason free world of denial”.
You keep shilling for a guy that now fourth or fifth in all polls, he’s even losing his home state of TX, and somehow he’s the only one that can beat Romney???
It would seem to me that the front runner in virtually all polls, and leading in every state except NH, including TX, has already beaten Romney.
Sheesh, at some point reason is going to kick in, and you’ll have to realize that people have judged Ricardo Perry and have found him to be lacking. He’s just not likable which makes him unelectable nationally. Your reasoning is just fruity.
I must admit, you put it in a nicer way than most.
If Cain starts to drop and Perry rises, will you help Perry's candidacy against Romney?
I know. I'm enjoying this. =D
A couple of things I don't understand.
1) Has Romney ever destroyed anyone in a race? I've never seen it. Maybe a polite smackdown, but destroyed?
2) Who is this Rick Perry you guys are talking about? The one I've seen comes across as a major BUFFOON in debates. Obama, who is pretty much an idiot, would eat him alive. Historically the debates haven't had a huge impact. But I truly do believe this year is already proving different. Besides, a candidate doesn't have to be the best in a debate to come across intelligent, thoughtful & inspired. Even Michelle Bachman gets a hit now and then.
3) It boggles my mind that those with vehement distrust of the "GOP machine" are waving Perry's fund raising as a sign of great electability. Who do you think those big donors are?
I don't see a lot of difference between Perry & Romney. But Lord help me, if I have to choose between those 2, I'm going to have to go with the guy who can form a complete sentence. There. I just threw up in my mouth a little.
According to the Cain team page, he has 611 volunteer supporters in Iowa. He probably meant paid staff.
Virginia has just shy of 2,000, and increasing daily. We have our first county meeting this Sunday.
I don’t know what people mean when they say Cain doesn’t have a ground game. His message is driving people to our camp.
My opinion: Cain wants to be Romney's VP.
Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
What is the true state of the race and where it is headed?
I am no longer a republican... I am an INDEPENDENT Conservative American Patriot... and those two things are NOT mutually exclusive. I cannot understand blind loyalty to a party that has liars, cheaters and thieves as its leaders... liars in that they lie to Conservatives while cutting back room deals with obama, reid and pelosi... cheaters because they game the system to destroy any Conservatives that challenge their lifetime of power and wealth... all generated at the espense of Working Americans... not welfare pimps or union hacks but REAL MIDDLE CLASS CONSERVATIVE FAMILIES THAT HAVE BOTH HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD WORKING TO PAY BILLS AND TAXES... and thieves because they steal our money through wealth redistribution ala marx and and they have stolen the chance at the American dream for every man, woman and child alive today.
We owe too much to ever see prosperity in out lifetimes... like those of us that have lived in the real America before she was destroyed. Screw the republicans... they have been SCREWING us for years. NO MORE mccains... no more Doles... no more progressives in republican clothing. NEVER AGAIN!
LLS
I think that you are wrong about Romney. He will be a reasonable conservative, a huge change from Obama. I have concerns about Romney so I am not supporting him in the primary but I will support him without reservation if he wins the nomination. Romney governed a very liberal state so his positions were not as conservative as many would like. I think that he will not govern in this manner at the national level. If Romney wins the nomination, he is the best that we can get in 2012. The damage from Obama will last a lifetime if not longer. A split in the Republican party will give the rats control of the country for a lifetime.
I took it to mean Cain is not going to be the nominee.
Well with Herman Kerry. . . err . . . Cain now publicly adopting the John Kerry-Heinz position on abortion—it’s wrong, but the government shouldn’t interfere with it
He’s 100% pro-life.
I KNOW that romney is a progressive pos. I KNOW that romney is a liar... too many times I have seen that proved to be fact... out of his very own mouth. You might support him but I will not and Jim Robinson will not allow him to be promoted on this Conservative website.
“Romney governed a very liberal state so his positions were not as conservative as many would like.”
He would NEVER have been elected in such a liberal state if he were not a flaming socialist... which he is.
“I think that he will not govern in this manner at the national level”.
Yes, he will... he is a progressive and his past proves that as fact.
“If Romney wins the nomination, he is the best that we can get in 2012”.
We have this one election to set things on the right path... failing that... blood will spill deeply to purge communism from our Republic. This is America's last chance at a peaceful restoration of our Republic... we cannot afford another progressive dim parading as a republican. mitt is a progressive in the vain of marx himself!
“The damage from Obama will last a lifetime if not longer”.
mitt was the architect of obamacare... he ADVISED the obamao administration on implementing it and that is the most marxist damage that obama has wrought upon a previously free America.
“A split in the Republican party will give the rats control of the country for a lifetime.”
We have been split for ages. I have news for you... the dims have controlled the country since Reagan left office... and they will continue to control America as long as progressive republicans try to push dims in republican clothing on a conservative electorate. Screw the republican party... they have been screwing me since Reagan!
Speaking of Reagan... mitt said, “I was NEVER part of the Reagan revolution." You and the party have been warned... if you push mitt upon us... you will lose and obama will win... and it will be YOUR fault and the fault of the second dim party known as republicans.
LLS
Sorry, they were discussing child murder, not adoption. The question was over abortion in the case of rape and incest and his response was very clear—and it wasn’t about adoption. He said nothing about adoption.
Sorry, they were discussing child murder, not adoption. The question was over abortion in the case of rape and incest and his response was very clear—and it wasn’t about adoption. He said nothing about adoption.
The last week on the chart at the link you provided - September 25-30 - showed Perry raising more money than Romney. Yes, there was a steep drop, but the succeeding weeks after that showed Perry’s money trending upward. I’d like to see the October figures, especially after this last debate.
Something I don’t understand - why do all of you Cain supporters spend so much time attacking Perry? If he is what you call a 3% candidate - why do you bother? I don’t see you all attacking the other low bracket candidates. If he is the sure loser you all claim he is - why waste so much time on him?
" “Yesterday in an interview with Piers Morgan on CNN, I was asked questions about abortion policy and the role of the President.No question there but that he knew he was talking about ABORTION, not adoption.
I understood the thrust of the question to ask whether that I, as president, would simply “order” people to not seek an abortion. My answer was focused on the role of the President. The President has no constitutional authority to order any such action by anyone. That was the point I was trying to convey. As to my political policy view on abortion, I am 100% pro-life. End of story. I will appoint judges who understand the original intent of the Constitution. Judges who are committed to the rule of law know that the Constitution contains no right to take the life of unborn children. I will oppose government funding of abortion. I will veto any legislation that contains funds for Planned Parenthood. I will do everything that a President can do, consistent with his constitutional role, to advance the culture of life.”
"CAIN: No, it comes down to it's not the government's role or anybody else's role to make that decision. Secondly, if you look at the statistical incidents, you're not talking about that big a number. So what I'm saying is it ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make.And then there's the problem of intellectual inconsistency of telling the family that it's there choice to something that he wants to make illegal, but as he has now said, "That's their choice."
Not me as president, not some politician, not a bureaucrat. It gets down to that family. And whatever they decide, they decide. I shouldn't have to tell them what decision to make for such a sensitive issue."
Yep. Its going to come down to Romney, Perry, Cain, and Gingrich. One of those four will get the nomination. I’m OK with Herman or Newt. In a pinch I’d take Perry over Romney. Or almost anybody else. LOL!!
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