Rasmussen in FL: Romney 44, Gingrich 28

HotAir ^ | 1/29/2012 | ED MORRISSEY

[TBBT]

Five weeks ago, this might have been a game changer. Is this a case of too little, too late?

Atlanta businessman and former presidential candidate Herman Cain endorsed Newt Gingrich Saturday night at a West Palm Beach Country Republican gathering after two months of wavering on whether he would offer his support to a fellow candidate.

The endorsement comes just three days before the crucial Florida primary, by far the largest state to vote so far in the GOP sweepstakes, and could help Gingrich energize tea party support. Gingrich campaign has flagged since his upstart, double-digit victory over front-runner Mitt Romney in the South Carolina primary a week ago.

“I had it in my heart and mind a long time ago” to endorse Gingrich, Cain said in a surprise appearance at the dinner. “Speaker Gingrich is a patriot, Speaker Gingrich is not afraid of bold ideas, and I also know that Speaker Gingrich is … going through this sausage grinder. I know what this sausage grinder is all about. I know that he’s going through this sausage grinder because he cares about the future of the United States of America.”

[eyedigress]

What baggage is this that hasn’t been checked already? We understand that he is twice divorced. I also understand that Jefferson had relations with his slaves.

Get over it.

[dforest]

Here is how we got had.

Early on the conservatives interested put all their chips on Palin. They waited...and they waited and counted on her to run.

Meanwhile Bachmann, Cain, Perry, Santorum all officially entered the race.

The conservatives were still waiting on Palin... waiting...so in order to clear the path for Palin, the conservatives, with a little help from the all too willing establishment helped discredit all the others in the race. Why not, the establishment realized Palin wasn’t going to enter.

The path to winning was right in front of them. Who is stopping it other than Newt? They knew Newt had more baggage to ruin him than all the others. Piece of cake.

So now all that is standing in Romneys way is a flawed guy like Newt.

I myself think Romney stinks, but we got here and there is a reason why we did.

[Proudcongal]

Newt will probably do better in other states. In Minn he had a 50-29 lead over Mitts

Yeah, but when was the poll taken? I wonder why there are no recent polls on the upcoming elections? Most likely because Newt is doing so well, but I fear once Florida is over, any Newt lead will evaporate.

[Windy City Conservative]

On the critical issue of electability, Romney has prevailed mightily. He gets the nod over Gingrich as the best opponent to Obama by almost 2-1, 53/29. He also has a double-digit lead on the question of which would be more likely to keep campaign promises, 38/21, perhaps a backfire from Gingrich’s moon-base promises to Floridians — a case where pandering fell victim to reality.

In other words, Floridians have completely bought in to the “only Romney can beat Obama” BS, and they also have given up on NASA. OK, Florida, a Newt administration will just launch shuttles from another state once he rebuilds NASA. He gave you first dibs, and you decided to vote for the creator of socialized medicine in the U.S. instead.

Did we really expect Florida voters to make a wise choice?

[kabar]

My problem is that this will be another election when I have to hold my nose and vote. I did it for McCain and will have to do it if either Romney or Gingrich gets the nomination. Neither one of them is a conservative. They are both Big Government types.

My biggest fear with Gingrich and Romney is that they will both make the welfare state run more efficiently and cheaply, but neither one will roll back the welfare state and the culture of dependency. They see government as the solution, not the problem.

[Jukeman]

So who are you voting for in the Florida primary, assuming you are?

[nuvista]

There is only 1 person on the political scene who has actually rolled back a signature entitlement of the welfare state - that’s Newt Gingrich! Remember welfare reform? Who championed that? No other actual or considered GOP candidate. So, your statement is not entirely accurate.

[kabar]

He is not only twice divorced and thrice married, but he engaged in adultry that led to very messy and acrimonious divorces. We had enough of this crap with Clinton and his womanizing. It is a matter of character or does that count any more?

The alleged relationships Jefferson had with his slaves have yet to be proved nor were they made part of the public record.

[Jeff Head]

Amen.

It aint over yet...and if Santorum does badly (and it looks like he will) then when he gets out and throws his support behind Romney, that will have a telling effect. We’ll have to wait a few weeks for larger states that matter to come up and let it show...and I hope Gingrich’s campaign takes that in.

OTOH, if by some miracle Santorum were to really have a great night in Florida and come in second, then the same could be said for Gingrich. But right now Gingrich has the cards in terms of coalesing the conservative vote.

[wardaddy]

My biggest problem with Newt is amnesty, which he currently supports.

That is not completely true and but then what are you going to do with Mitt as the nominee?

He will say anything but his track record is a litany of social liberalism and cheap labor, hardly the sort to be 100% anti amnesty

I see this race as Mitt or Newt. Newt was not my first pick...in fact 4th...after Palin, Bachmann, Rick and Rick...but compared to Mitt he is exponentially better...at least to me.

Mitt is a Gerald Ford clone...in many ways actually...

Newt is simply better by any measurement.

The media will attack Mitt same as Newt when he gets the nomination..his family's Mexico history for example will be known even to school kids and even if Mitt does win then we get possibly 8 years of a liberal Republican?

I will pass and ride with Newt till it's done. The way all of these folks on our side attacked Newt in favor of liberal pro abort, pro gun control, pro mass govt healthcare, pro higher taxes, pro homosexual agenda Mitt Romney has changed me forever with the GOP and 90% of so called conservatives in the public eye

I don't care about his reprimand...silliest charges ever of which he was later cleared...it was payback orchestrated by the Dems at the request of a bitter political rival (Cooter) and drummed up by the media...I mean really look at the charges...over events that took place before he was speaker

what that event told us is that the left was determined and Gingrich made enemies...I'll give you that

[stanne]

Well, I am out of it. Thought I was good on American cultural history.

[pgkdan]

It appears that Romney is going to win big in Florida. What appeal he has is one of the great wonders of the world.

Romney's appeal is found in his opposition. Newt is unelectable. Pure and simple. Most folks are smart enough to realize that.

[wardaddy]

Not believing polls historically in recent years may make us feel better but that is about it

the trend in Florida is ominous ...sadly

[kabar]

Much of those gains on welfare reform have since been eroded thru subsequent legislation. And Newt to this day still supports the biggest expansion of the entitlement programs since Medicare in 1965, i.e., the prescription drug program.

Gingrich Says He Doesn't Regret Supporting Medicare Drug Plan Which Is Now a $7.2 Trillion Unfunded Liability

[sand88]

Rush will swing our way. LET’S ROLL

If Mitt wins Tuesday, the MSM will go absolutely nuts saying it's over and Mitt will win it all.

RUSH will reveal just how "Conservative" he is soon. I have no doubt RUSH will NOT come out for Newt and that RUSH will NOT enthusiastically point out just how Liberal is Mitt.

My only joy will be the fact that nothing anyone on Earth will every say will get me to vote for Mitt. I loathe that man beyond words.

[rbmillerjr]

“Neither one of them (Romney and Gingrich) is a conservative. They are both Big Government types.”

You should vote for Romney, you seem to like his style of trashing good conservatives, in this case, a conservative that had done more for conservatives than any other person except Reagan.

He also ranked higher than Santorum in conservative ratings on a Lifetime Basis.

[erlayman]

People glued on to Mitt who might have given Huntsman, the real electable fiscal conservative, a longer look if the other half of the electorate didn’t seem hellbent on pushing neurotics and halfwits.

Of course anyone that allows their hurt feelings get in the way of the fate of the nation I can see how non-pandering straight talk might be too much to take. The problem is not with the candidates but with the a Tea Party era in which the priorities of Republican voters can be hard to assess and has directly led to the total farce of an election unfolding before our eyes in Florida.

[My Favorite Headache]

Cain needed to endorse Newt 2 weeks ago. Cain is a joke now and I agree the people who were going to vote for him moved on to Santorum and Newt anyway.

Bachmann on the other hand...where is her endorsement? Or is she waiting for a clear winner to come out of Florida? She too needed to drop an endorsement.

[Maurice Tift]

   Va is 49 but i dunno if Va is winner take all.

  Virginia is 'winner take all' for a candidate with more than 50% of the vote. If I was in Virginia, I would vote for Ron Paul to prevent Romney from getting the 49 delegates.

[sand88]

Santorum can claim conservatism - I want to see it in action when it will actually cost ‘him’ something! Rhetoric and holier than thou attitude only goes so far - the proof is in the pudding. Either he’s a patriot or not.

Rick is above all a political animal. He core principle is to feed his ego.

Rick will do whatever it takes to help Rick. Our Republic comes a distant second.

Rick could be presented with the fact that he will NEVER get the nomination and by staying in help Mitt. He wouldn't care at all. He's only angling to help Rick.