Posted on 01/27/2012 12:10:44 PM PST by Qbert
In the middle of last night’s debate, I actually tweeted about it because the difference was audible: Mitt Romney’s applause, for the first time that I can remember, was louder than Newt Gingrich’s. The Gingrich campaign can think of just one possible explanation as to how Mitt Romney could have inspired such a response in his audience: He must have unfairly packed the hall.
“They definitely packed the room,” Kevin Kellems, one of Gingrich’s senior advisers, told The Huffington Post early Friday morning. “The problem for them is their candidate, at several junctures, couldn’t remember what he had said before on an issue or what the fundamental truth is on a given topic. TV viewers tend to notice and remember things like that.”A more junior member of the Gingrich campaign said in an email that it was “obvious” that the Romney campaign had worked to make sure the audience was overly favorable toward the former Massachusetts governor. …
The campaign staffer noted that the Florida Republican Party had “picked 900 plus seats.”
Florida Republican Party spokesman Brian Hughes told HuffPost in a phone interview late Thursday that the state party controlled who got roughly 900 of the 1,200 tickets issued to the debate. But he took issue with charges that the crowd was tilted toward any one candidate.
“The vast majority of [the tickets] went to rank and file. We did a very thorough job of getting them to the rank and file, vetting them to make sure they went to registered Republicans and then making sure they went out to people that were not knowingly affiliated” with any of the candidates, Hughes said.
These accusations of room-packing come closely on the heels of Gingrich’s spoken beefs with NBC’s no-audience-applause-allowed policy at Monday night’s debate. After that debate, Gingrich said, “We’re going to serve notice on future debates. We’re just not going to allow that to happen. That’s wrong. The media doesn’t control free speech. People ought to be allowed to applaud if they want to.”
Apparently, to Gingrich and his campaign staff, the only “fair” debate is one in which (a) audience participation is allowed and (b) that audience participation works in Gingrich’s favor. After the NBC debate, his gripe seemed legitimate: The utter audience silence of the debate was strange and the bias betrayed by the moderators flat-out offensive to many viewers as well as the candidates themselves. After this debate, his complaints seem weak. Sure, he’s a great debater, but that doesn’t mean another candidate can’t possibly overshadow him in a particular showing. Even Gingrich fans admit the former Speaker’s performance last night was lackluster. Who knows? Maybe he pandered to Floridians too much: Eventually flattery offends as much as it gratifies. At this point, Gingrich just needs to take responsibility for his own poor performances and stop making excuses.
That said, though, it’d be great to watch just one well-moderated debate, one in which the questions are insightful and issues-oriented, one in which the candidates are able to capture our attention and hold it — not with attacks on each other but with compelling plans for the future of the country.
SANTORUM: Just so I understand this, in Massachusetts, everybody is mandated as a condition of breathing in Massachusetts, to buy health insurance... So what is happening ... free ridership has gone up five-fold in Massachusetts... Why? Because people are ready to pay a cheaper fine and then be able to sign up to insurance, which are now guaranteed under "Romney-care," than pay high cost insurance, which is what has happened as a result of "Romney-care."
ROMNEY: First of all, it's not worth getting angry about. Secondly, the... (applause) Secondly...
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/santorum-yes-governor-romney-there-something-get-mad-about
Of the 3000 seats, only 800 were available to the public. The rest were distributed by the RNC.
That tells you all you need to know.
They are salting the fields and poisoning the wells. Nothing is off limits.
Even Gingrich fans admit the former Speaker’s performance last night was lackluster.
On the other hand, Romney, by no means hit it out of the park and yet for the first time (in these debates ) the crown erupted with cries of “Mitt, Mitt” in unison immediately after. A little staged, at least it looked like it was.
PROOF:
Florida FReeper manc wrote: “I tried to get trckets for last night my wife and I and I have talked to another freeper near me and this is what we were all told off the Duval county GOP.
There were 3,000 seats but only 800 went out to the likes of us.
The RNC distributed their tickets out and it seems they put their establishment crew in a lot of them.”
ALL OF US KNEW THE AUDIENCE WAS STACKED FROM THE VERY OUTSET.
Romney had never before received so much applause.
Shame on the Florida Republican Party.
I wish there were an EIB Debate coming up soon with El Rushbo and Mark Levin asking the questions.
Y’all raise he// with the FL Republican Party. Romney shills. He bought ‘em off.
Yep, that was the give away. That and when he got loud applause and cheers when he didn’t say anything particularly applause worthy.
You wrote: “And get a load of what the Romneycare-loving Mittbots were applauding:...”
Exactly.
Santorum nailed Romney on Romneycare/Obamacare last night. All Romney could stammer, was, “There is no reason to get angry about it.”
Too bad that either Santorum or Newt didn’t follow up with reference to this juicy morsel:
The Hill
Romney-adviser Norm Coleman predicts republican president wont repeal health law
<>
Romney Advisor: No Obamacare Repeal
Redstate ^ | January 25, 2012 | Erick Erickson
As Ben Domenech notes in his Transom, Mitt Romney’s advisors have now advised him to support “a $2 gas tax, a VAT, and open Taliban talks.” Add to that list not repealing Obamacare. Norm Coleman, an advisor to Romney, went on record saying:
“We’re not going to do repeal. You’re not going to repeal Obamacare… It’s not a total repeal… You will not repeal the act in its entirety, but you will see major changes, particularly if there is a Republican president… You can’t whole-cloth throw it out. But you can substantially change what’s been done.”
(Excerpt) bttt
Hot links here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2838785/posts?page=166#166
Right about now I’d be happy to see a 3-hour Lincoln Douglas style debate between Rush, Levin, Coulter and Drudge. It needs to happen.
After Newt wins the Florida primary, he's unstoppable for the nomination unless he shoots himself. He needs to start aiming for the general election.
He will need all of the Santorum voters, most of the Romney voters and even some of the Ron Paul voters to carry him over the finish line.
Romney astroturf. There is nothing spontaneous about Romney.
A politician using smoke and mirrors? Really? I’m shocked!
LOL...Even with that, he couldn't get himself a standing O. Oh yeah, and he couldn't keep his story straight.
Throw down your Romulan toasting glass and jump while you can!
Mmmmmm....I thought Obama was the Crybaby-in-chief
I mentioned all of this before the debate last night and I agreed with another freeper lets just wait and find out if the room is stacked with Romneybots.
I was told 3,000 seats but only 800 went out to the likes of us.
Well last night they proved us correct.
They were cheering and clapping over nothing, he never answered questions,
he flip flopped again over immigration, he said he had not seen the AD he is running but ends it with I approve of this message,
He totally lied about Romneycare as my wife is from MA and still has family there and a couple of her family have paid the fine .
I’m not going to point all out but the establishment looked at SC and saw the crowd put Newt over the line and since they have been working to take Newt out and then getting their message out to their pals like at FOX
Did all of you hear right at the end say”did you hear that crowd tonight?”
He lied about that too
His staff said he will not overturn obamacare and last night he said he would.
The man is taking all sides, surely people are not that stupid that they think he is telling the truth are they?
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