McCain beats Romney in Florida GOP race

AP on Yahoo ^ | 1/29/08 | David Espo and Liz Sidoti - ap

[NormsRevenge]

MIAMI - Sen. John McCain won a breakthrough triumph in the Florida Republican primary Tuesday night, edging past former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and seizing precious campaign momentum for next week's string of contests across 21 states.

"It shows one thing: I'm the conservative leader who can unite the party," the Arizona senator said in a brief interview with The Associated Press. "It's a very significant boost, but I think we've got a tough week ahead and a lot of states to come."

The victory was worth 57 national convention delegates for McCain, a winner-take-all's haul and the largest single prize to date in the race.

Rudy Giuliani was in third place, his best showing of the campaign but possibly not good enough to warrant continuing.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee trailed but told supporters he would forge on.

[Miss Didi]

Giving up at this time is premature. This could also be the thing to galvanize Conservative voters. It is not totally lost at time.

I agree...McCain may just fire up the base enough to elect Mitt.

[NonLinear]

I DID NOT TODAY NOR WILL I EVER GIVE McCAIN MY VOTE!!!

You still get an "A" for content.

[redgirlinabluestate]

He shared 95% of our conservative principles back in 1994 when he ran against Kennedy. Now he shares 100% of them. Proof here, if you dare.

Also, abortion alone doesn't make one a conservative. Condi Rice is pro-choice and most people consider her a conservative too. There are many more like her. And, being pro-life alone doesn't make one a conservative either. Otherwise, you'd have to label Sen. Harry Reid a conservative. Reid is pro-life and he doesn't seem very conservative to me.

Mitt has more of a pro-life platform than does McCain, Obama or Hillary -- and those are your choices.

Mitt is stronger on the 2A than McCain, Obama or Hillary as well. McCain has a C= grade from the NRA, while Mitt has a B. Obama and Hillary both have F's.

[redgirlinabluestate]

1994 Romney Campaign Flyer

In the 1994 Senate race, Mitt Romney held the solid conservative position for 23 of the 24 issues listed; the only exception being the pledge to maintain the status quo in Massachusetts regarding a woman's right to choose. A pro-choice position in Massachusetts in 1994 was a socially moderate stance accommodating the large majority opinion of voters in the state.

However, it's understandable how a first-time candidate in 1994, and former businessman, running a crusade for fiscal conservatism with solid conservative positions on crime, welfare, the economy, foreign policy, school choice, health care, and congressional reform might accept the status quo on a social issue respecting the liberal constituency he would represent.

You'll also notice that even way back then, Mitt Romney favored tougher measures to stop illegal immigration (unlike McCain and the dems). Romney has consistently opposed illegal immigration and demonstrated this by his actions while governor opposing special privileges for illegal aliens and taking steps to enforce federal immigration laws.

[thomasjefferson1215]

Excellent analysis: The USA has followed Britain with the exception that they have THREE major political parties flying the Red Flag of Socialism. If McLame Brain wins the Republican nomination, I will not vote for him. Hillary and Obama would get my vote about the time hell freezes over.

In the general election in November a match up between either Obama and Hillary, McLame Brain loses and a Democommie Congress comes in on their prop wash, which means we can just about kiss our Free Republic good-bye, as the Democommies will change the U.S. Constitution to make it impossible for the Conservatives ever to rise again.

I say we of the opposition party should think seriously about a Second American Revolution.

[Matchett-PI]

"...Democommies will change the U.S. Constitution to make it impossible for the Conservatives ever to rise again."

Conservativism can't be said to be defeated as long as the front runners for the Republican nomination are all quoting Ronald Reagan and claiming to be carrying his mantle. John McCain said that his victory last night is proof that he is the only true conservative in the race.

If conservatism really WAS dead, they would all be running away from that label as fast as they can.

McCain got very little of the conservative vote, however. Most conservatives (65%) gave their vote to Romney.

[bill1952]

Okay, I’ve heard this enough times.

No independent votes count for the primary.
There is a list of 30 day minimum pre registered republicans on the list, and the diebold machines check all of the votes, be they hand cast or electronic, to that list, and spit out the ones that do not match that list.
These are kept to the side for a later possible challenge.

It was necessary to allow independents to vote on a very important Constitutional amendment to lower property taxes.
That referendum has nothing to do with party affiliation, so all were allowed to vote on that.
It is on the same ballot as the choice for president.

60% was needed to pass the referendum and it did pass. Unfortunately, McCain won fair and square, and also snubbed the conservative voters in the process of proving that the GOP has drifted farther left than most people here admit.

[bill1952]

You dream.
McCain would not choose Fred if he were the last man alive.
Lieberman is more his style, but I doubt that it will be him either.

[bill1952]

He just did. Get out of denial, and everybody needs to understand that if we have any hope of doing anything.
My wife is an election official and unorthodox voting played no role in his victory.
The GOP party has left us behind, and we had best deal with that and prepare as best we can.

[murrie]

I just cannot vote for McCain. How would a
vote for him be any different than a vote for
Hillary?

[bill1952]

None of my friends or family members support McCain.

I need more friends like yours. :)

Plenty of mine did. And they just voted for him.
I held my nose and voted against him w/mitt, but honestly, looking at the internals, McCain was the fated one.

[bill1952]

You still get an “A” for content.

Good catch there. Nice to see.

[xJones]

Where IS this love for McCain coming from? It’s the biggest fairy tail I’ve ever seen...

It's almost as weird as where all this love for Barak Obama is coming from. Oh, hell, I need to buy stock in Reynolds Wrap.

[bill1952]

Tread carefully, lest you get banned here.
Collect guns and stock ammo.
I’m not kidding - You may need them.

[xJones]

Thank you for your post #339. That was certainly a wise reply. Best regards

[Kellis91789]

It really comes down to whether Hillary or Obama could take the country to rock-bottom ala Jimmy Carter without doing permanent damage.

That may be the only way we can get a true Conservative again, instead of the RINOs that Joe Sixpack somehow thinks are virtuous for their compromises with the Socialist Dems.

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

It’s looking more and more like the only recourse for conservatives will involve some sort of mass migration. We’re entering into an age of absolute leftist rule... and history shows what that means to dissenters. Our only hope is strength in numbers, and we can’t afford to be scattered all over the map.

How many people do you figure it would require to turn California?

[gruna]

Exit polls say 20% of the voters in the Republican primary were not Republicans, and many of them voted for McCain. What does your wife have to say about that?

[bill1952]

She states the obvious. There was an important Constitutional amendment that all citizens got to vote on irrespective of party affiliation.

The fact that there were few dems coming meant that the measure to lower taxes passed the 60% threshold needed to pass, so Howard Dean did us a favor here.

The amendment is on the same ballot as the primary votes.

All votes are tabulated by diebold machines which check all primary votes against the list of 30 day pre registered voters.
The ones that do not match that list are spit to the side and not counted for their primary vote, but the tax vote is recorded.
They are kept for a later possible challenge.
Clear enough?

[tallyhoe]

The liberal and Moderate Republicans don’t listen to conservative talk radio much.