Debates will test Romney's durability

Vancouver Sun ^ | January 6, 2012 | Sheldon Alberts

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Through much of his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney has treated his party rivals more like pesky mosquitoes than serious political opponents. He's ignored them as much as possible and felt compelled to swat at them only when they tried to bite - which hasn't been all that often.

[snip]

- Mitt Romney: That silver-haired, portly fellow lunging at Romney's throat with fangs bared is Newt Gingrich, who has adopted the wounded-dog strategy after his fourth-place Iowa finish. That's unfortunate for Romney, who has preferred to focus on President Barack Obama while political action committees friendly to him do the dirty work of attacking others. The pro-Romney "super PAC" Restore Our Future on Friday announced new anti-Gingrich ads in New Hampshire and South Carolina. Gingrich relishes a good scrap, but Romney - in the few heated moments he's had during past debates - has been uncomfortable off script. Remember when he challenged Rick Perry to a $10,000 bet? He needs to remain above the fray.

[snip]

- Rick Perry: First, the Texas governor has to explain why he's still in the race at all. After finishing fifth in Iowa, he tucked tail and scooted back to the Lone Star State to regroup. Perry's campaign is up with new ads in South Carolina touting his service as an Air Force pilot, his hardscrabble Texas upbringing and his religious faith. That's all good in a Bible Belt state with a large military population. But he needs to do more than introduce himself with upbeat biographical ads. At five per cent in South Carolina polls, Perry needs to emphasize his executive experience and highlight Santorum's lack of it.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Rick Perry: First, the Texas governor has to explain why he's still in the race at all.

[reverse snip "explains why"]

..Romney - in the few heated moments he's had during past debates - has been uncomfortable off script. Remember when he challenged Rick Perry to a $10,000 bet? He needs to remain above the fray.

PERRY RATTLES ROMNEY because Gov Perry has the record and the chops to dismantle Mitt.

Perry versus Mitt. Some highlights:

Carbon Copies [60 second video campaign ad]

Mitt: That's -- I'm running for office, for Pete's sake, I can't have illegals. [video clip of Mitt falling apart on stage while Perry smiles]

Perry's gone after Mitt (A LOT) on hiding his support for mandated health care, most notably mentioned in this piece - $10,000 bet.

Rick Perry's "Romney's Remedy" Ad -- RomneyCare.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Why Does Rick Perry Think He Can Win South Carolina?

[Utmost Certainty]

The more Mittens gets pissed off, the better. He shows his churlish colors under stress for all to see.

[presently no screen name]

Mitt saying ‘he’s running for prez, so he can’t have illegals’. If that was anyone else saying the whooper - it would be spoken about over and over again. It shows his mindset, it’s because he’s running, he can’t have illegals. Need to make everything look good and in order.

[MasterGunner01]

IMHO, Mitten's mistake in the Iowa caucuses was funding 80 percent attack ads against Newt. Say what you will about him, when Newt gets mad — and he's mad right now at Mittens — Newt becomes a pit bull. Newt will go after Mittens and it is personal. Newt may not get the nomination, but his mission has become destroying Romney so he doesn't get it either.

Romney is a despicable, swarmy chameleon RINO. Go, Newt, and take this POS out. The RINO elites of the Party can't despise and hate you any more than they already do.

Dear little Mittens, who's trying to keep his skirts soooo clean, is about to find out that ugly, negative campaigning has a down side when the party you're attacking turns the tactic back on the originator.

[RoosterRedux]

Say what you will about him, when Newt gets mad — and he's mad right now at Mittens — Newt becomes a pit bull.

But then, of course, the electorate may like Newt the pit bull...because it will take a pit bull to beat Obama and to get the country back on track.

[RC one]

If Romney is anything, he is durable and extremely so imo.

[Darkwolf377]

[video clip of Mitt falling apart on stage while Perry smiles]

When people think of someone falling apart onstage in this election cycle, it's hard to deny they're going to think of Perry's inability to come up with "EPA" as the audience--not just one person on the stage--laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

Perry may have smiled at Mitt falling apart on stage, but EVERYONE was laughing at Perry. And looking good onstage didn't do much for Perry in Iowa.

Whatever I think of Romney, he has played the role he chose for himself well. He gets rattled when the others force him out of that pre-scripted role. Perry's going to have to do a lot more than smile if he wants to gain any traction.

[MasterGunner01]

AMEN!

Nothing of value was ever accomplished by a “reasonable” man.

Translation: We need a pit bull, a fighter, to take Zer0 and the Donkeys out. The RINO elites are still playing their usual DC power gamesmanship. These morons haven't figured the country will NOT survive four more years of Zer0 and his thugs.

It IS that simple.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

You’ve mastered the MSM pile-on to divert attention away from Romney very well.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

**CLICK**
Texas Gov. Rick Perry tries to deliver to Obama a letter expressing border security concerns. Photo by Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman/ Aug 9, 2010 -- His letter was passed off to Valerie Jarrett (in pink suit).

Ft. Hood, Texas - Shooter Memorial:

Barack Obama’s “Workplace violence”

Perry: ‘Stand up’ and ‘stop apologizing’......."We need to stop apologizing for celebrating life,” the Republican Texas governor bellowed at the Republican Leadership Conference in a finger-pointing, finger-wagging and, at times, bombastic, speech.

“Stop apologizing” for wanting to stem the tide of the “entitlement mindset,”….

“Our opponents on the left are never going to like us, so let’s stop trying to curry favor with them,” he said, before imploring the crowd to “stand up. Let’s speak with pride about our values. Let’s stop this American downward spiral.” ................

________________________________________

....."In his remarks, similar to those he's offered at other churches in Iowa, Perry recalled how his faith was renewed at age 27, when he realized he had, as he put it, "a hole" in his heart…….

"You are Biblically charged to take your values into the public arena," he said, noting that someone's values will "decide the issues of the day."

"The question is, whose values?" Perry said, warning against being intimidated by what he referred to as "the politically correct police.",,,, Source

[traintown57]

"video clip of Mitt falling apart on stage while Perry smiles"

If this is your idea of Perry kicking Romney's butt, I beg to differ. After watching the clip, I thought that Romney clearly won that exchange. I'm an anybody but Romney kind of guy and I think Rick Perry is a great person and a real conservative but I think you're in denial if you think he can actually win the nomination. Right now, I'm hoping that Santorum can weather the storm that's coming his way from the MSM or Newt can make a come back.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

You must be a Romney supporter to see that!

Romney's stuttering, calling the moderator for help, gets caught in a lie and then says "I can't have illegals for Pete's sake, I'm running for office."

AND check this out!

Rudy Giuliani asked Mitt Romney the same question in the 2008 CNN debate that Rick Perry asked him during the CNN 2011 debate -- Mitt loses it both times.

Nov 28, 2008 CNN-YouTube Debate: Sound familiar? [LOOK who interrupts whom!!]

Funny Accent Mitt Romney, discussing reports illegal immigrants did landscaping at his home: It would "not be American" to check workers' papers simply because they have a "funny accent." [acknowledges need for giving health care and education to illegals]

Sound familiar? Mike Huckabee, replying to Romney's criticism of providing college scholarships to children of illegal immigrants: "In all due respect, we are a better country than to punish children for what their parents did."

At the same debate: John McCain: "We must recognize these are God's children as well. ... I will enforce the borders first. But we won't demagogue it."

June 13, 2011 –CNN Debate:

GINGRICH: “No, but let me say this, John. No serious citizen who's concerned about solving this problem should get trapped into a yes/no answer in which you're either for totally selling out protecting America or you're for totally kicking out 20 million people in a heartless way. There are -- there are humane, practical steps to solve this problem, if we can get the politicians and the news media to just deal with it honestly.”

[MasterGunner01]

Envision “Dear Leader”, Michelle, Vallerie Jarrett, and their entire entourage in orange jumpsuits (by Gucci). Now imagine them in a new wing of Club Gitmo, built especially for them. Now imagine them subsisting on stale bread, bottled water, and MRE’s for the rest of their worthless existences. I have a dream . . . sigh.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I can only imagine the “pardon” list Holder and Obama will release the day they fly away from the South Lawn.

It will be long.

[LibLieSlayer]

I guess the likes of coulter want a “durable communist”.

LLS

[Cincinatus' Wife]

How did you like this?

Rick Perry to a reporter: YouTube: You got a name?

[traintown57]

As I previously stated, I’m in the anybody but Romney camp. Romney successfully chastised Perry for continually interrupting before he could answer the charge. He also had facts, such as, 0% increase in CA and NY while TX had 60% increase in illegal immigration. Don’t know if that’s true, since it came out of Romney’s mouth, but Perry didn’t deny it.
If I was in that debate and someone told me “If you want to be President, you need to understand both people have to talk” (paraphrasing), I would have responded in some way, like, “If you want to be the President, you have to tell the truth”. Instead, Perry smirked.
Like I said before, I think Rick Perry is a great person and I think he would probably make a great President. I just don’t think he has the skills to get there.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

....Romney successfully chastised Perry ...

Romney looked like a prissy girl.

[traintown57]

I liked it alot:)