Posted on 12/16/2011 9:53:45 AM PST by TBBT
SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- Mitt Romney had a strategy going into Thursday night's final Republican debate before the January 3 Iowa caucuses. The former Massachusetts governor has been hitting rival Newt Gingrich hard in recent days, calling him "zany" and "unreliable" and even going after Gingrich's infamous Tiffany bills. At the same time, Romney's campaign has sent out a relentless stream of email attacks on Gingrich, many citing a new Romney website devoted to attacking Gingrich, unreliableleader.com. Meanwhile, a pro-Romney super PAC has been slashing Gingrich in ads across Iowa. The effect has been a full-scale Romney assault on the man Team Romney views as its most formidable rival.
The attacks have taken a toll. For days, well-connected Republicans across Iowa have had the sense that Gingrich is losing altitude, and a Rasmussen poll released early Thursday confirmed that sense, showing Gingrich at 20 percent, down from 32 percent last month. The new poll showed Romney re-taking the lead in the Republican race, with 23 percent.
(Excerpt) Read more at campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com ...
This brings out a question. Mitt Romney won’t attack Newt face to face in debates but will on his websites. Are we seeing the real Romney? I don’t view asking pointed questions or bringing out facts about anyone as attacks.
Many of us have been talking months about that.
I listened to Romney on Hannity the other day and he hit Newt right out of the gates and continued to do so throughout the interview.
I was never a huge Bachmann fan but she has shamed herself during this election. All she does is attack the latest not-Romney and rarely touches Romney. I don’t think Romney is stupid enough to put her on the ticket. I just hope conservatives can coalesce around Gingrich, Perry, or Santorum. I was a Perry fan but Newt is good enough for me.
Romney is afraid of Newt. Gingrich for President.
With Cain out of the picture, this has become somewhat a dog and pony show. Neither of these dudes should be our president!
Neither of them are what they want us to believe they are, nor what the country desperately needs.
I am still numb because of what they did to Mr. Cain. I think Obama may have won re-ecelection on Dec. 3, 201!
If Rick Santorum can maintain his trend I will likely support him. I like bachmann, too. Rick Perry has inporoved, but the taller man usually takes the spoils.
The best we can do now is to elect fresh conservatives into Congress, both the House and the Senate.
The 'real' Romney always sends out minions to do his dirty work and goes to great lengths to appear above it. And he employs many minions, stealthily and underhandedly. It's his MO.
But he will never do it face to face with Newt. This tells me he can’t debate Newt and/or he is afraid of Newt.
After last nights debate and post mortem by the RINOs it is my opinion that you are correct. Michelle has become Mitts and the RINO establishments pitbull in attacking Newt. It is now quite obvious.
This further confirms my recent switch to support Newt was a good move. Newt excellent debate performance enhanced my support of Newt.
His opportunity to hit Newt was at the debate and he did not do it, he chickened out.
Putting Romney up against Obama in the general is like bringing a knife to a gunfight....Stupid.
One radio commentator this morning was speculating that some “deal” had been worked out behind the scenes between the Romney camp and some of the other contenders, to have them take the “attack dog” role (like Bachmann), against Newt, allowing Romney to appear more the statesman, and maybe they’d be rewarded with a place on the Romney ticket or an appointment by a Romney administration.
No one was saying they had such inside information, or claiming any knowledge of an insider leak to that affect. They were just speculating.
The FoxNews.com debate commentators said the same last night. The various campaign’s advisors know each other, they talk to each other, they drink together. It’s not outright collusion because it’d on with a wink and a nod.
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